GAFFNEY, S.C. --- Tusculum University took an early lead and held on for a 4-3 victory over Limestone University in South Atlantic Conference women's tennis action Saturday afternoon.

The 48th-ranked Pioneers (8-3, 3-2 SAC) swept doubles and won the first two singles matches from the Saints (5-5, 1-3 SAC), only to see Limestone creep within 3-2 with a pair of wins. However, Tusculum clinched in the next-to-last match to earn its third win in the last four matches.

Tusculum earned a clean sweep in doubles over Limestone to go up 1-0 in the match, starting at flight three where Valentina Loretz and Emilie Hansen claimed a 6-2 win over Anamaria Kiszner Luca and Sara Valentini. The Pioneers locked up the point at flight one, with Elodie Baechler and Tabitha Howe earning a 6-4 win over Alexandra Dolfi and Anna Mora. At flight two, Leonie Floeth and Paulina Loretz won by a 6-4 score over Anastasiia Khriapko and Galilea Amavizca.

In singles, Valentina Loretz improved her season record to 14-4 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Amavizca at flight five, followed by a 6-4, 6-4 win by Howe over Maria Radu at flight three for a 3-0 Tusculum lead. Dolfi kept the Saints alive with a straight-set win over Floeth at flight one, and Kiszner Luca beat Baechler at flight two to cut the Pioneer advantage to 3-2. Paulina Loretz would give Tusculum the match with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Khriapko at flight four, and Valentini closed out the afternoon for the Saints by beating Johanna Palacio in a tiebreaker at flight six.

Tusculum's next four matches are scheduled for the Nichols Tennis Complex, starting on Friday, March 25 with a visit from fourth-ranked North Georgia for a non-conference contest starting at 1 p.m.