GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Caroline Crowe rallied from a set down and Blake Thompson clinched with match-clincher as the Tusculum College women's tennis team edged visiting Brevard College, 5-4 in a South Atlantic Conference thriller Saturday afternoon at the Nichols Tennis Complex.
The Pioneers (14-1, 5-0 SAC) win their eighth straight match, while taking over sole possession of first place in the league standings. The Tornados fall to 9-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference as BC has its nine-match winning streak snapped, while suffering its first loss of the year against a non-Division I opponent.
Tusculum won two of the three doubles matches, including a critical point at the second flight. The TC duo of Courtney Conley and Taylor Patterson edged Lindsay Hostetter and Clair Dillman, 9-8 in pro sets. TC also captured a point at No. 1 doubles as Katelyn Doss and Crowe won their match against Lindsay Shaeffer and Kim Dixon, 8-6.
Brevard salvaged a point at No. 3 doubles as the duo of Kayley Duval and Jennifer Nyman battled to an 8-6 win against Katie Hillis and Thompson.
In singles, the Tornados swept the first three singles points as Shaeffer, Hostetter and Dillman posted straight wins to lead BC to a 4-2 lead, needing only one point in the remaining singles matches to capture the contest.
Tusculum's Megan Buckmaster made it 4-3 with her 6-2, 6-1 win over Nyman at No. 6 singles.
Dixon went up a set at No. 5 singles as she blanked Crowe 6-0 in the opening frame. Crowe would bounce back, winning the next two sets 6-4, 6-3 to win the point and even the match at 4-4.
Thompson and Duval battled for the final point at the fourth flight. Thompson would seal the comeback, winning 6-4, 6-4 as the Pioneers avenge last season's loss to the Tornados in the semifinal round of the Food Lion SAC Tournament.
Tusculum's Sunday match at Newberry College has been postponed due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for April 10 at 2 p.m. The Pioneers return to action Tuesday when they host cross-mountain rival Mars Hill College for a 2 p.m. match at the Nichols Tennis Complex.
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