MURRAY, Ky. — WKU Tennis eclipsed its 2019 win total with a marathon, 4-3 victory over Wright State on Saturday. The match between the Lady Toppers and Raiders lasted almost five hours, culminating in a match-clinching singles win by senior Lucia Diaz Saez.
"This was a great team win, we knew this would be a tough match and we battled for almost five hours," head coach Greg Davis said. "We won the doubles point and really fought hard at every position."
WKU started out strong, with a 6-1 win by new doubles unit Laura Bernardos and Diaz Saez at the No. 3 position. After dropping the No. 2 matchup, the familiar No. 1 pair of Lisa Friess and Cora-Lynn von Dungern notched a 7-5 victory won the doubles point and giving the Lady Toppers a 1-0 lead.
Wright State stormed back with wins at the No. 2 and 1 singles spots before Bernardos tallied a 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 5 over Anna Jones to even the score back at 2-2. The score stayed even at 3-3 after Friess improved to 7-1 on the season with a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win at the No. 5 spot against Gracy Whitney.
So it all came down to Diaz Saez at the No. 6 position, and she came through with a straight-set, 6-4- 6-4, win over Anna Marie Reynolds to give WKU a 4-3 team victory.
"The seniors came through for us," Davis said. "Lisa saved multiple match points and Lucia clinched it for the team with a lot of pressure on her shoulders."
At 4-5 on the season, the Lady Toppers have already improved upon their final 2019 record of 3-17. WKU will look to get back to .500 and produce a winning weekend when the team faces off against host Murray State on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m.
Final Results
Singles (Order of finish: 2,1,5,4,3,6)
1: Andreea Craciun (WSU) def. Cora-Lynn von Dungern (WKU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
2: Luisa Pelayo (WSU) def. Lauren Joch (WKU) 6-1, 6-3
3: Jillian Milano (WSU) def. Tristen Bryant-Otake (WKU) 6-3, 4-6, 7-6
4: Lisa Friess (WKU) def. Grace Whitney (WSU) 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
5: Laura Bernardos (WKU) def. Anna Jones (WSU) 6-3, 6-1
6: Lucia Diaz Saez (WKU) def. Anna Marie Reynolds (WSU) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles (Order of finish 3,2,1)
1: Friess/von Dungern (WKU) vs. Pelayo/Whitney (WSU) 7-5
2: Craciun/Milano (WSU) def. Bryant-Otake/Joch (WKU) 6-4
3: Bernardos/Diaz Saez (WKU) def. Jones/Reynolds (WSU) 6-1
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