Tusculum College returned to its South Atlantic Conference schedule with an 8-1 victory over Catawba College in Women's tennis action Tuesday afternoon at the Nichols Tennis Complex.

The 47th-ranked Pioneers (10-1, 2-0 SAC) swept doubles and won the first two singles matches to clinch the win over the Indians (10-6, 1-4 SAC) in the team's first completed home match since February 22 and its first conference match since February 27.

In doubles action, the Pioneers jumped to a 3-0 lead as Franziska Funke and Amanda Sumner defeated Liz Renteria and Erisa Onchi 8-3 at flight one, Erin Mills and Kealee Heffner downed Kristen Rocko and Lauren Sledd 8-1 at flight two, and Emily Waters and Jule Brass beat Rachel Rudisill and Maddie Henderson 8-3 at flight three.

In singles, Brass beat Rocko 6-2, 6-4 to give the Pioneers a 4-0 lead, and Mills had the clinching point with a 6-4, 6-3 win at flight three over Henderson. Funke beat Onchi 6-2, 6-0 at flight two, while Waters downed Sledd 8-3 and Sumner beat Rudisill 8-4 in pro sets at flights five and six, respectively.

Tusculum will prepare for a showdown with 35th-ranked Wingate on Friday afternoon at 2:30 at the Nichols Tennis Complex. The Pioneers and Bulldogs have finished first and second in the conference in each of the last three years, and one or both of the teams has won at least a share of the SAC championship in 10 of the last 14 years.