INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A berth in the finals of the 2018 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament was up for grabs on Saturday afternoon with the third-seeded Franklin women's tennis team matching up against second-seeded Transylvania University at the West Indy Racquet Club.

The Grizzlies battled back from a point down after doubles play to even up the match in singles competition. But Franklin's season would come to an end in the semifinals as Transylvania emerged with a 5-3 win.

All three doubles matches were tightly-contested, but two of the three points up for grabs went to the Pioneers. Franklin earned the lone pre-singles points with a with a win from Holyn Eldridge and Alexa Schofner over their No. 2 doubles counterparts.

Eldridge brought the Grizzlies within a point with a huge 6-3, 6-2 win over Jessica Burton from the second singles position. Karen Dringenburg rallied from down a set to take a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Porsche Robinson in a battle of the two top singles competitors, evening up the match at 3-3. But Transylvania claimed victory at the third and fourth singles positions to close out the match, ending the Grizzlies' fall campaign.

The Grizzlies finished the fall season with an 8-3 record, advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the seventh consecutive year. It marked the final conference tournament match for Dringenburg, Eldridge, Schofner, Brianna Hutton and Tapanga Gauck, a senior class that went a combined 24-7 in league play during their four years with the program.