GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- For the first time in a decade, the Tusculum University women's tennis team will be an underdog when it begins play at the South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament, which gets underway Thursday and runs through Saturday at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, South Carolina.

The Pioneers were in position for another top-three finish in the conference standings when contact tracing knocked three starters out of the lineup and sent Tusculum into a late-season slide. The Pioneers finished the regular season with three straight losses and ended up at 10-7 overall and in a three-way tie for fifth place at 7-5.

As the sixth seed in the field, the Pioneers will face third-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne (11-3, 9-3 SAC) in the quarterfinal round at 9 a.m. Thursday morning. The Bears defeated the Pioneers 4-3 in the regular-season finale on Sunday.

Tusculum and Lenoir-Rhyne have met four times previously in the SAC Championship tournament, with the Pioneers winning all four matches. Tusculum beat Lenoir-Rhyne in the quarterfinals in 2005, 2008 and 2009 and defeated the Bears in the 2019 semifinals.

The Pioneers have not been seeded lower than third since 2011, when the Pioneers were the sixth seed in a six-team tournament. Tusculum owns SAC Tournament championships in 2004, 2014 and 2017, while Lenoir-Rhyne has earned its highest-ever finish in the conference regular-season standings.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
All-American Annie McCullough had a 13-2 record at number-one singles before being forced to the sidelines at the beginning of the month. McCullough, a grad student from Belfast, Northern Ireland, is 6-2 in conference matches this season, and is the winningest singles player in program history with a 104-17 career record.

In McCullough's absence, senior Julia Lopez has been promoted to the number-one spot in the Tusculum lineup. The Zaragoza, Spain native is 8-9 overall this season, going 1-3 at number one and 5-6 at number two singles. Lopez has a career record of 54-29 in singles with the Pioneers.

Junior Emilie Hansen has won back-to-back matches at flight two for the Pioneers, and has seen significant time at the two, three and four spots in Tusculum's lineup. Hansen is 4-1 at flight two, 4-3 at three and 3-4 at four for a season record of 11-8, which includes an 8-4 mark in conference matches. The Hvidovre, Denmark product has a 34-30 career record at Tusculum.

Freshman Paulina Loretz has moved up from the five spot to number three in the revised Tusculum lineup and has more than held her own, going 3-1 at flight three after compiling a 6-6 record at number five. The native of San Mateo Atenco, Mexico has two straight wins and went 7-4 in conference play.

At flight four, grad student Caitlin McCullough had a perfect 6-0 record and was riding a seven-match winning streak when she was shut down. McCullough, who hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland, is 10-5 overall this season and owns a 56-24 record in four seasons with the Pioneers.

Sophomore Rory Church has taken over at flight four in McCullough's place, and posted a 2-3 record to go with her 5-2 mark at number-six singles for a season record of 7-5, which includes a 5-5 conference mark for the native of Kennesaw, Georgia.

Joining Church at flight six for the Pioneers this season have been junior Martina Marras, who is 1-4 at the lineup position this season and 2-6 overall, along with freshman Johanna Palacio who is 1-3 at flight six this year.

In doubles, the McCulloughs are ranked 16th in the latest ITA Division II poll and have a season record of 12-3. Lopez and Paulina Loretz moved up from flight three in their absence and have gone 2-2 for a season record of 8-5, including 7-3 in conference play. Hansen and senior Amber Lackey have posted a strong 12-2 record at flight two, with Lackey expected back in the lineup after being held out. Hansen and Church have going 4-0 at flight two, with a total of five different pairings combining for a 10-7 mark at flight three.

SCOUTING THE BEARS
The Bears have won eight of their last nine matches and four in a row, with the only loss a 7-0 setback to Wingate on March 23. Lenoir-Rhyne went 3-1 in matches decided by a 4-3 score, and had winning records at five of the six singles flights.

Junior Gemma Southwick has played number-one singles all season for the Bears and has a 12-2 record, while freshman Alicia Wahlberg has an 8-3 overall mark at five different spots in the lineup, most recently at number two. Sophomore Evelin Menyhart has compiled a 3-3 record at both two and three, with senior Lucy Whelan at 5-2 at flight four and 8-4 overall. Junior Diana Babinets has turned in a 6-3 record at flight five and went 8-3 in conference play for the Bears, and sophomore Natalie Lutz has won four straight matches for a 10-2 overall record, including 6-1 at flight six.

In doubles, Southwick and Whelan are 6-5 at flight one, Wahlberg and Menyhart have teamed for a 2-6 record at flight two, and Babinets and Lutz have fashioned a 7-1 record at flight three and are 8-2 overall in conference play.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's win by Lenoir-Rhyne over Tusculum was the Bears' first-ever victory over the Pioneers in 20 meetings, dating to 2005.

SAC TOURNAMENT
The 2021 South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Championship will be played at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, S.C. beginning with quarterfinals on Thursday, followed by semifinals on Friday and finals on Saturday. All matches will begin at 9 a.m. each day. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Palmetto Tennis Center will not be allowing spectators into the venue during the championship.

The Conference Championship schedule is as follows:

Thursday, April 15
Match 1: #8 Lincoln Memorial vs. #1 Wingate
Match 2: #5 Limestone vs. #4 Carson-Newman
Match 3: #7 Newberry vs. #2 Queens
Match 4: #6 Tusculum vs. #3 Lenoir-Rhyne

Friday, April 16
Match 5: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2
Match 6: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4

Saturday, April 17
Match 7: Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6