Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HARROGATE, Tenn. - On a Wednesday afternoon that saw the Lincoln Memorial University men's and women's tennis teams play crucial matches against in-state rival Carson-Newman, both teams were victorious at home as they each won 4-3. The women's match came down to the wire as freshman Mae Fitzgerald answered the bell and won 7-5, 7-6 at number six singles to clinch the victory. With the wins, the men move to 3-7 (2-4 South Atlantic Conference) while the women even their conference record as they are now 4-5 (3-3 SAC).

On the men's side, LMU was able to win the doubles point as Iker Moure and Sebastian Colla won 6-2 at number one while freshman duo Luca Pavan and Thomas Turner won 7-6 at number three. The match became incredibly competitive afterwards, as three Eagle wins in singles gave them a 3-2 lead.

Moure won his match 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 at number one to provide the Railsplitters with their second point. As head coach Marc Walters noted, "Iker showed some real heart today as he ground out a three set match despite a bad ankle. His win at number one doubles also really helped us and was a pleasant surprise. Iker has been very competitive this year after a tough junior season."

Colla then won at number four by a score of 6-2, 6-3 and Pavan provided the clincher with a 6-3, 6-1 win at number six. Walters was impressed with Pavan, going so far as to say that "...today was incredibly positive for Luca as he provided the clincher in singles and also teamed up with Thomas Turner in doubles to help us get that point."

"There's no doubt that playing at home was a key factor," Walters continued. "The team support was terrific, and this is a huge result for us to get some momentum as we head into the meat of our conference season. With the win, we can set our sights on a decent seed in the conference tournament and reach some of our team goals."

The women's side saw a similar outcome as the match came down to the final point. Despite losing all three doubles matches, the team rallied back. Freshman Valentina Ascarrunz continued her strong play this spring with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 win at number three while Amanda Dahlstrom won 6-1, 6-4 at number five. Trailing 3-2 overall, Kristin Vogel tied the match up with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at number five, setting the stage for number six singles to decide the match. Mae Fitzgerald provided the clincher with a 7-5, 7-6 win that saw the team improve to .500 in South Atlantic Conference play.

"Today was a terrific day for our freshmen," Walters commented. "Valentina staved off a couple of match points and beat a senior, while Mae came back twice during her match. "Amanda Dahlstrom and Kristin Vogel both stepped up for us and got us going after a rough start, and the momentum continued to build from there.

Walters continued as he said "...it bodes well for us that we played well under that kind of pressure; hopefully we can carry it over into our matchup with Catawba on Saturday."

Both teams will have two days off before traveling to Catawba on Saturday, Mar. 20. The match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.