DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman Hannah Gaines, sophomore Polina Sakharova and freshman Ivana Dragovic won the final three matches of the day to lift the North Carolina Central University women's tennis team to a 4-3 victory over visiting Morgan State University Monday afternoon.
 
The Lady Eagles got their first singles win from junior Sofia Miller to start the successful comeback.
 
NCCU improved to 4-8 on the season after knocking off the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament champions. Morgan State slipped to 2-8. The showdown was designated a non-conference match with the Bears competing in Northern Division of the league and the Lady Eagles in the Southern Division. However, NC Central is now 2-0 against MEAC member institutions this season.
 
The Bears took the initial lead by edging the Lady Eagles in doubles, 2-1. Senior Oriane Yehouenou and junior Dana Santiago secured a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles for MSU, but a 6-3 No. 1 triumph by Gaines and sophomore Frida Cnossen leveled the score. A 6-2 win by freshmen Averiana Mitchell and Jourdan Wallace on the decisive middle court clinched the doubles point in favor of the visitors.
 
Gaines and Cnossen improved to 5-5 as partners with their third straight doubles win.
 
Morgan State's pulled out to a 3-1 lead with wins in the top two singles slots by junior Peggy Rooke (6-3, 6-3) and sophomore Asmara Rose (6-2, 6-1) after Miller tied up the match briefly at 1-1 with her 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 4.
 
Gaines knocked off Mitchell 6-3, 6-4 on court three to start NCCU's closing run. Sakharova reversed those scores to 6-4, 6-3 in her No. 5 win over Yehouenou to level the match. Dragovic then outlasted Santiago 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 to complete the narrow win for the Lady Eagles as the dual match took four hours and 18 minutes to complete.
 
Sakharovia has won two straight matches and Dragovic is now second on the team with four wins.
 
NC Central next hosts University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Thursday at 2 p.m.