NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Louisiana Tech grabbed the doubles point to open up action against Stephen F. Austin and it proved vital as the two squads split singles, giving the Lady Techsters a 4-3 victory on Friday afternoon at the Schlief Tennis Complex.
 
LA Tech (5-4) got a pair of wins in doubles on courts two and three.  And with all six singles courts being competitive, the Lady Techsters got three victories from the middle of the lineup, including the clinching point at No. 5.
 
"It was a hard-fought win today," said head coach Amanda Stone.  "SFA played well and we really had to step up to close out the match.  Getting the doubles point proved key and the middle of our lineup really delivered."
 
Ana Jover and Claudia Oravcova teamed up for their team-leading fifth doubles win, taking it 6-2 at the No. 2 spot.  At No. 3, Andrea Perez-Lopez and Ilana Tetruashvili found themselves down 5-2 but rallied to win five straight games and come out on top, 7-5.
 
SFA (3-3) countered with two straight-set wins on courts one and six in singles to grab a 2-1 advantage in the match. 
 
Tetruashvili evened things up though for LA Tech with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Annie Walker on court three.  Then it was Alexia Romero outlasting Alisha Moldakhmetova for her sixth singles win (6-3, 4-6, 6-1) on court four to get the Lady Techsters to within one point of clinching. 
 
The clincher came soon thereafter from Oravcova who rebounded from a loss in her previous singles match to defeat Armelle Cerdan, 6-4, 7-6 at the No. 5 position.
 
"The great thing about our team this year is that every player has a chance to win on every line so everyone has the opportunity to be the hero," said Stone.  "Ilana and Claudia had that moment today.  Both helped us earn the doubles point and each of them finished their tight matches in two sets like we needed them to. 
 
"Overall, the whole team fought hard and we will look to ride this momentum into tomorrow's home match."
 
It marked the Lady Techsters sixth straight victory over the Lady Jacks.
 
LA Tech will return home to take on Jackson State on Saturday.  First serve is set for 12 p.m. at the Ruston Sports Complex.
 
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