STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Louisiana Tech tennis team collects its 10th win of the season, including its fourth straight victory on the road, by defeating Tarleton State in a final score of 4-1 on a windy Saturday at the Potishman-Lard Tennis Courts.
 
LA Tech (10-4) has been away from home for a month and were coming off a long trip to Florida that included three matches.  After a brief time back in Ruston, the Lady Techsters were back on the road to take on a Tarleton State (7-4) team who came in undefeated on its home courts.
 
That undefeated mark ended as LA Tech claimed the doubles point and then picked up three points in singles on courts one, two, and four.
 
Doubles was lopsided across the board.  Leonie Schuknecht and Najah Dawson got the winning started by blanking the Texans' Elsa Boisson and Emma Persson, 6-0, on court one.
 
Tarleton State got its own 6-0 win on court two, making court three the deciding court for the opening point.  Alexia Romero and Valentina Vazquez pulled it out, winning 6-2.
 
Tifani Nash quickly made it 2-0 for the Lady Techsters, overpowering Elif Albayrak by a score of 6-2, 6-0 at the No. 4 position.  The Texans later got a straight-sets win of their own at the No. 5 spot to give them their first point of the match.
 
The remaining four singles courts all split sets, but it was the top of the lineup in Schuknecht and Olga Bienzobas who pulled through for LA Tech.
 
The momentum shifter really came on court two where Bienzobas was down 2-6, 4-5, but won three straight games to force a third set.  She jumped out to a 3-0 lead and eventually took the third set, 6-2, over Martha Makantasi.
 
Meanwhile, Schuknecht was up 6-2, 4-2, but Emma Persson who came in having won eight straight won four straight games to force a third set.  Schuknecht regained control though, winning four straight games herself to take it, 6-1, and provide the clinching point. 
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Amanda Stone
 
"This was a good win today for us.  We knew coming in that it was going to be a tough match.  Tarleton brings a lot of energy and had a good crowd.  It was key for us to match their intensity from the start and we did that.  I am proud of the team for the fight and mental toughness they showed in a tough road match in windy conditions."
 
NOTABLES

• With the 4-1 win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series over Tarleton State, 2-0. The Lady Techsters also defeated the Texans last season in Ruston.
• LA Tech has now won double-digit matches in four of the last five seasons (11th time in the last 13 seasons).
• LA Tech won its fourth straight road match, its longest streak since 2014.
• Leonie Schuknecht and Alexia Romero each recorded their 34th career win in dual doubles, one shy of cracking into the top 10 in program history.
• Leonie Schuknecht has matched her dual singles total from last season already, improving to 11-1
• Tiffani Nash ended her two-match singles losing streak by registering her ninth win of the season
• Olga Bienzobas won her second singles match of the season after dropping the opening set.

UP NEXT
After being on the road for a month, LA Tech will begin a six-match home stand on Friday, March 17 when they face in-state foe Northwestern State.  First serve is set for 1 p.m. at the LA Tech Tennis Complex.
 
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