JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. --- Playing their third match in three days, the Tusculum women's tennis team battled to a 9-0 victory over Carson-Newman in South Atlantic Conference action Tuesday afternoon.

The 13th-ranked Pioneers (18-1, 8-1 SAC), who sustained their first loss of the season after 17 victories on Monday at Wingate, needed a pair of three-set victories in singles against the Eagles (7-8, 4-5 SAC) to pull out their 11th shutout of the year.

In doubles, the team of Annie McCullough and Caitlin McCullough defeated Jill Corsato and Abby Reis by a score of 8-5 at flight one, Franziska Funke and Katarina Majorova downed Ali Harris and Alisa Liashova 8-6 at flight two, and at flight three Africa Mota and Amber Lackey were 8-6 winners against Hannah Price and Mallory Jackson.

In singles, Funke moved up to play at flight one and beat Corsato 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, with Annie McCullough defeating Reis 6-1, 6-3 at flight two and Caitlin McCullough winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 at flight three against Price. Angelica De Vincenzis posted a 7-6, 6-3 victory against Liashova at flight four, and in pro sets it was Mota beating Jackson 8-7 at flight five and Julia Lopez winning 8-3 over Sydney Ledington at flight six.

The Pioneers will travel to Newberry on Saturday in a match that could determine the number-two seed in next week's SAC Championship tournament. Tusculum is assured of being one of the top three seeds in the quarterfinal round, which will be played next Tuesday at campus sites.