TULSA, Okla. – The Louisiana Tech women's tennis team closed out the Hurricane Invite on Sunday with a 5-2 victory over Central Arkansas at the Case Tennis Center, securing their first dual victory of the 2021 season.
 
LA Tech (1-2) snatched the doubles point from UCA (0-3) to get the match started and then picked up singles wins on courts two, four, five and six. 

"It was a big win today and a big step for our program," said head coach Amanda Stone.  "UCA is a tough team who always finishes towards the top of its conference.  We had to really show up as a team to pull out wins under pressure. 

"Doubles was a mental battle and singles was just as tough.  I think we gained a lot of confidence with this win and our overall play through the weekend.  There were a lot of bright spots, but Alexia and Anastasiia really shined the whole weekend.  I'm so excited for this season and can't wait to see what this team can accomplish."
 
After falling at the No. 1 spot in doubles, Anastasiia Salenko and Claudia Oravcova teamed up for their first victory together, winning in a tiebreaker at No. 3.
 
The doubles point came down to court two where Alexia Romero and Lara Unkovich carried over their strong play from the fall with a 7-5 win over Sumomo Hamanaga and Jaeun Lee to give LA Tech a 1-0 lead.
 
The Bears defaulted at the No. 6 position in singles, immediately giving the Lady Techsters a 2-0 advantage before play began on the other five lines. 
 
UCA would battle back, picking up straight-set victories on courts one and three.  However, LA Tech's Salenko notched her second straight win by outlasting Hamanaga 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 at the No. 2 position to help the Lady Techsters go up 3-2. 
 
Closing out the team win was Romero who came back from down a set to defeat Mei Ishimura 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 and Unkovich came out on top 7-6, 0-6, 1-0 over Paulina Engback.
 
LA Tech will have two weeks before they return to action for their home opener on Jan. 31 versus Stephen F. Austin. 
 
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