SUMTER, S.C. --- Tusculum University pulled out a 4-3 victory over Carson-Newman University in the quarterfinal round of the South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Championship Thursday morning at the Palmetto Tennis Center.

The top-seeded Pioneers (16-5), ranked 18th in Division II this week and fifth in the Southeast Region by the NCAA, got the clinching win from Elodie Baechler in straight sets to dispatch the eighth-seeded Eagles (4-14). Tusculum will move on to play fifth-seeded Catawba in the semifinals on Friday after the Indians beat Anderson 4-3.

Carson-Newman, with just five players in the lineup, took a 1-0 lead after doubles as Summer Reeves and Mollie Edge defeated Baechler and Valentina Loretz 6-2 at flight two, while Natasha Forrest and Julia Spieser beat Tabitha Howe and Paulina Loretz 6-3 at flight one.

In singles, Tusculum leveled the match 1-1 before a ball was served due to the Eagles having to forfeit at flight six. The Pioneers would take a 2-1 lead as Paulina Loretz collected a 6-0, 6-0 whitewash of Speiser at flight four, and went up 3-1 behind Valentina Loretz, who downed Edge 6-1, 6-1 at flight five.

The Eagles came back to tie the match at 3-3 as Forrest defeated Howe 6-2, 6-3 at flight two, followed by Anita Chornei earning a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Leonie Floeth at flight one. At flight three, Baechler won the first set 6-4 over Reeves, then rallied from a 5-6 deficit to force a tiebreaker which she won 7-5 to clinch the victory for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers will play 37th-ranked Catawba at 9 a.m. Friday in the SAC semifinal match at the Palmetto Tennis Center. Tusculum beat Catawba 6-1 during their regular-season meeting on April 13. Friday's winner will face the winner of the other semifinal between Wingate and Newberry on Saturday for the SAC Tournament championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.