GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Tusculum University outlasted Lenoir-Rhyne University 4-3 in South Atlantic Conference women’s tennis action Friday afternoon at the Nichols Tennis Complex.
The 43rd-ranked Pioneers (10-5, 4-2 SAC) won three straight singles matches to take a 3-1 lead on the 32nd-ranked Bears (11-3, 6-2 SAC), but Lenoir-Rhyne came back with two singles victories to knot the match at 3-3. Tusculum would get the win at flight five as Thilda Danielsson rallied from a set down to beat Dawson Clifford 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Lenoir-Rhyne swept doubles from the Pioneers to go up 1-0 in the match, but Tusculum gained the 3-1 lead behind three straight-set wins. At flight six, Johanna Palacio defeated Alexa Allison 6-1, 6-3 followed by a 6-3, 6-2 win at flight two by Valentina Loretz over Claudia Orsini.
Paulina Loretz pushed the Pioneers up 3-1 as she defeated Nellie Wahlberg 6-2, 6-3 at flight four, but the Bears responded with two straight-set wins of its own to tie the score at 3-3. Danielsson then earned her first conference victory of the season with her comeback against Clifford to give Tusculum the match win.
The Pioneers will remain home to face Mars Hill on Wednesday, April 3 beginning at 3 p.m. The Lions dropped to 0-12 overall and 0-7 in the SAC with a 6-1 loss to Catawba on Friday.
