BOX SCORE
DURHAM, N.C. — Senior
Jamie Rogers picked up her first singles win of the season for host North Carolina Central University in a 6-1 non-conference women's tennis loss to Longwood University on Wednesday.
The Lancers rallied in doubles and then won three straight singles matches, including a pair of critical three-set affairs to seal the victory.
The Eagles were closing in on winning doubles before Longwood rallied late to steal the first team point.
The middle duo of sophomore
Sofia Miller and freshman
Maru Berghaus secured a doubles win for NCCU by a 6-4 margin. The other Eagles' tandems both held 5-4 edges, needed just one of them to win their next game to finish off doubles in favor of the hosts. However, the Lancers had the answer both times.
The top pair of sophomores Marija Venta and Jamie Breunig won the final three games to nip Rogers and freshman
Polina Sakharova, 7-5, and level doubles at 1-all.
Freshmen Julia Candiotto and Tanja Skalda completed the comeback for the Lancers on the third court. They won two straight games to jump ahead 6-5, but NCCU senior
Lauren Mullis and sophomore
Emily Pena won the next game to force a tiebreaker. Mullis and Pena then jumped ahead 3-2 in the race to seven points before Candiotto and Skalda responded with the next five points to seal the 7-6 (3) triumph.
The Miller and Berghaus win was the first for the young duo.
Longwood (2-0) sealed the victory and remained undefeated on the season with wins from No. 2-4 in the lineup. Breunig won a lengthy 6-4, 6-3 battle from the third position against Sakharova while freshmen No. 2 Yulia Almiron and No. 4 Kaori Terunuma both escaped with three-set triumphs.
Almiron prevailed, 7-5, 5-7, 6-0, over Berghaus and Terunuma rallied past Miller, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0.
Rogers put the Lady Eagles on the board with a seesaw win in the marquee match against Venta. Rogers eventually won in a third-set tiebreaker for a final score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5).
Skalda and Candiotto added two late victories for the bottom of the Lancers lineup to complete the match.
NCCU (0-6) next hosts UNC Wilmington on Friday at 2 p.m.
