45th-ranked Pioneers bounce back for 5-2 win over Newberry

45th-ranked Pioneers bounce back for 5-2 win over Newberry

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University bounced back from dropping the doubles point by winning five of six singles matches in a 5-2 win over Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference women's tennis action at the Nichols Tennis Complex Saturday afternoon.

The 45th-ranked Pioneers (8-2, 4-0 SAC) won their fifth consecutive match and improved to 6-0 at home with the victory over the Wolves (11-6, 1-4 SAC).

Tusculum lost two of the three doubles matches to Newberry, winning at flight one where Annie McCullough and Caitlin McCullough teamed to defeat Elisa Aguirre and Marta Gomar by a 6-0 score.

In singles, Julia Lopez evened the match at 1-1 with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Gomar at flight four. Newberry regained the lead with a straight-set win at flight two, but Martina Marras brought Tusculum back into a 2-2 tie by beating Lucia Davila 7-5, 6-2 at flight six.

The Pioneers went ahead for good at flight one as Annie McCullough shut out Aguirre 6-0, 6-0 on Lesley Murray Hawk Court for a 3-2 Tusculum lead. Caitlin McCullough earned the clinching point with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Lucy Spice at flight three, and Africa Mota closed the afternoon by beating Amy Griffiths 6-3, 6-2 at flight five.

Tusculum will return to action Wednesday at 1 p.m. with a conference showdown at Queens. The Pioneers and Royals played three times last season, with the Pioneers winning the regular-season match 5-4 at home and the Royals earning a 5-2 win in the SAC semifinals. Tusculum made it two out of three over Queens with a 5-2 victory in an NCAA Southeast Region first-round match.