The Binghamton University women’s tennis team’s inconsistent start to the season continued this weekend as it lost its second straight match on Saturday, falling to Ivy League conference member Dartmouth College 6-1.

The loss dropped the Bearcats to 2-4, while the Big Green, who began the season ranked No. 60 in the nation, improved to 6-4.

Senior Anna Edelman continued her success for Binghamton, defeating Dartmouth senior Molly Scott in straight sets by a final score of 6-2, 6-4. Scott was ranked No. 122 in the nation at the time.

“[Edelman] is an all-court player and she’s able to tend to keep her opponent on their toes in that they never really know what she’s going to do next, which is a nice asset to have,” said first-year head coach Libby McGovern. “That’s really the reason why she’s been so successful this year. Her opponent never really knows what to expect in terms of what style of play she’s going to give them and what the next shot is going to be, and it really is quite an advantage for her.”

Binghamton lost its remaining five singles bouts in straight sets, as juniors Marina Bykovskaya, Emma Leibowicz and Jillian Santos all fell to their opponents, while senior Lauren Bates and freshman Jennifer Fridman also found themselves on the losing end.

The Bearcats also dropped two out of three doubles matches. Bykovskaya and Leibowicz were the only pair to pull out a victory as they defeated Dartmouth seniors Ryan Reichel and Georgiana Smyser, 8-6. Partnered with freshman Melissa Matsuoka, Molly Scott was able to avenge her singles loss against Edelman as she and junior Yagmur Gone lost 8-6. Bearcats Fridman and Santos also fell in doubles, dropping their match to junior Ryan Reichel and sophomore Christina Danosi, 8-5.

Even after losing two consecutive matches, McGovern said she is sticking to her plan, but has the team focusing on some specifics in this week’s practices.

“We’re working on being more aggressive in doubles, and we want to start controlling our opponents instead of reacting to them,” she said. “We want to get a little more disciplined with our game plan and making sure that we stay focused throughout our entire match. We know what we need to work on and most of the things we’re working on are controllable by us, which is a good thing.”

The Bearcats are set to travel to the University of Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon, with a dual match scheduled for 4 p.m. at Levy Tennis Pavilion. The Quakers are 5-4 this season after shutting out St. Joseph’s University last Friday 7-0. The five wins this year for Penn have already surpassed the team’s total from all of last season

Penn is led by freshman Connie Hsu, who is ranked No. 15 in the nation. In the fall, the Texas native finished 23-2 in singles play. But McGovern isn’t worried about her opponent at this point in the season.

“I’m trying to keep us very focused on what we need to do as a team,” she said. “If we do the things we’re supposed to, we’re going to be extremely successful.”