Kate Hutchinson rallied from a set down to earn the decisive point for the Tusculum College Women's tennis team in a 5-4 victory over 40th-ranked Wingate University Monday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action at the Nichols Tennis Complex.

The Pioneers (12-1, 3-0 SAC) saw the defending SAC champion Bulldogs (10-4, 3-1 SAC) erase a 4-1 deficit to tie the match at 4-4, but Hutchinson came back for a 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 win over Kelli Ferguson at flight five to give Tusculum its 11th consecutive victory.

Tusculum led 3-0 after doubles play and took a 4-1 lead when Holly Verner defeated Ali Evers 6-2, 6-4 at flight one of singles. However, Wingate claimed a pair of three-set wins and a straight-set victory to knot the match.

Hutchinson dropped the first set 6-2 to Ferguson and trailed 6-5 in the second set, but won the next game to force a tiebreaker which she won by a 7-3 score.

In the third set, Ferguson jumped to a 4-3 lead only to see Hutchinson go up a break at 5-4. Ferguson broke Hutchinson back to even the set at 5-5, but Hutchinson returned the favor to regain a 6-5 lead. Hutchinson then put the match away on serve with a love game to give the Pioneers the victory.

In doubles play, Verner and Katelyn Doss defeated Evers and Becca Thomas 8-5 at flight one, Courtney Conley and Taylor Patterson downed Olivia Poole and Tiffany Williams 8-5 at flight two, and at flight three Hutchinson teamed with Megan Buckmaster for an 8-6 win over Ferguson and Morgan Winston.

The Pioneers open a stretch of three road matches in four days on Thursday when they travel to Newberry for a SAC contest beginning at 2 p.m.