The Tusculum College Women's tennis team captured the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship with a thrilling 5-4 victory over Newberry College Friday morning at the Rock Hill Tennis Center.

With the victory, the second-seeded Pioneers (22-2) earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championship, which will begin in early May. It is the third conference tournament title in program history, joining 2004 and 2008, and sends the Pioneers to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time.

Tournament MVP Erin Mills provided the decisive point for the Pioneers as she rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over the Wolves' Romina Adum at number-two singles.

Tusculum trailed 2-1 after doubles but used wins from Adrienne Kaye and Kealee Heffner to take a 3-2 lead. Newberry (17-8) came back to tie the match at 3-3, but Amanda Sumner picked up a victory at number-six singles to restore the Pioneers' lead at 4-3.

A three-set win by the Wolves at number-three singles set up Mills and Adum as the deciding match, and the Pioneer sophomore came through as she blanked Adum in the final set to lock up the championship.

Tusculum jumped to a quick 1-0 lead in doubles as Sumner and Emily Waters cruised to an 8-1 win over Shannon McManus and Tara Lamers at flight three, but Newberry came up with a pair of 9-7 victories to take a 2-1 lead into doubles.

Kaye and Heffner wasted little time in giving the Pioneers the lead, as Kaye downed Ariel Strong 6-1, 6-1 at flight five and Heffner beat Lamers 6-1, 6-0 at flight four. Susana Aguirre knotted the score at 3-3 with a 6-2, 6-3 win at flight one over the Pioneers' Sarah Baker.

Sumner pushed the Pioneers back on top 4-3 as she beat Marina Ziehe 6-4, 6-1 at flight six, but Vanessa Ortiz rallied for a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory at flight three over Kate Hutchinson to set up the dramatic finish.

The 48-team field for the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Tournament will be announced at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 on ncaa.com.