AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's tennis team suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday afternoon at the USC Aiken Tennis Complex, falling 7-2 to current national No. 49 Erskine.

The loss drops USC Aiken to 2-1 on the 2011 season. Erskine is now 2-0 on the year.

Despite the team loss, USC Aiken's Stephanie Humphrey (Harpenden, England/Sir John Lawes) acquired an impressive and thrilling win at No. 1 singles. Humphrey downed current regional No. 15 Tessa Rheault 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Humphrey's singles win at No. 1 would prove to be all that the Pacers could muster in singles, but all six of the matches were hard fought with two other Pacers taking their foe to three sets before losing.

Humphrey and doubles partner Margot Simon (Nantes, France/St. Joseph de Loquidy) remained unbeaten as a tandem in 2011 with an 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles over Erskine's Rheault and Britton Bignon.

USC Aiken will next open its Peach Belt Conference campaign at home tomorrow (Friday) against Georgia College at 2 p.m. at the USC Aiken Tennis Complex. The 25th-ranked Pacer men will also battle the Bobcats on Friday.

Both the Pacer men and women will close out their week on Saturday at 2 p.m. with a home match against Limestone.