CLINTON, S.C. – Down 3-0 to the visiting Wofford Terriers on Thursday afternoon, the Presbyterian College women's tennis team rattled off four straight singles victories to earn a thrilling win at Templeton Tennis Courts, 4-3.
PC improves to 8-11-1 and stays at home to host Liberty on Sunday at 1 p.m. Wofford falls to 5-9.
The Terriers won the doubles point and grabbed two quick wins in singles play before PC stormed back to defeat Wofford for the second straight year.
Patricia Alves (Campinas, Brazil) started the comeback bid from the second flight against Audrey Coventry. The senior trailed in both sets by a 5-2 margin but fought back to take a 7-5, 7-5 result.
Meanwhile, on court No. 5, Caroline deLoach (Columbia, S.C.) found herself locked in a three-set battle with Mareli Sanchez. The Blue Hose junior won the first set, dropped the second and put the Terrier away in the third for a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win.
Both teams then turned their attention to No. 4 and No. 1. At the fourth flight, Courtney Gardiner (Powder Springs, Ga.) battled against Catherine Martin and recovered from a first-set loss to tie the dual match at 3-3 with a crucial 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Tied a 3-3, the top-flight match between Greer Ransom (Athens, Ga.) and Sarah Evans took center stage. The two players traded the first two sets to bring up a deciding third. Ransom continued to plug away at Evans and, up in the final game, slammed down the overhead smash winner to put an exclamation point on the day, 6-2, 1-6, 7-5.
Wofford ran its lead to 3-0 with singles wins from Julia Paulson at No. 3 over Caroline Ferrari (Rome, Ga.), 6-2, 6-0, and Taylor Carlson at the sixth flight over Lucia Leahy (Charlotte, N.C.), 6-1, 6-4.
The Terriers took 8-6 doubles wins at the top two flights as Evans and Paulson downed Ransom and Gardiner at No. 1 while Maritn and Sanchez edged Alves and Kayla Stanford (Canton, Ga.). PC grabbed a third-flight win at No. 3 when deLoach and Ferrari dispatched Carlson and Kalli Karas.
Singles competition
1. RANSOM, Greer (PCW) def. Sarah Evans (WOF) 6-2, 1-6, 7-5
2. ALVES, Patricia (PCW) def. Audrey Coventry (WOF) 7-5, 7-5
3. Julia Paulson (WOF) def. FERRARI, Caroline (PCW) 6-2, 6-0
4. GARDINER, Courtney (PCW) def. Catherine Martin (WOF) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
5. deLOACH, Caroline (PCW) def. Mareli Sanchez (WOF) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
6. Taylor Carlson (WOF) def. LEAHY, Lucia (PCW) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Sarah Evans/Julia Paulson (WOF) def. RANSOM, Greer/GARDINER, Courtney (PCW) 8-6
2. Catherine Martin/Mareli Sanchez (WOF) def. STANFORD, Kayla/ALVES, Patricia (PCW) 8-6
3. deLOACH, Caroline/FERRARI, Caroline (PCW) def. Taylor Carlson/Kalli Karas (WOF) 8-4
