MOBILE, Ala. ? Sara Abraúl defeated Erica Cardenas in three sets to lead the Embry-Riddle women's tennis team to a 5-2 win over Savannah College of Art & (12-6) in the second round of the NAIA Women's Tennis National Tournament on Tuesday. The victory was the second of the tournament for the Blue and Gold marking the first time that the Eagles have notched back-to-back wins at the national tournament.
With the win, the Embry-Riddle women advance to the quarterfinal round for only the second time in program history. The Eagles, who are now 14-7 on the year, will face defending national champion and No. 1 seed Auburn-Montgomery at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
The first doubles match off the court was at the No. 3 spot where Abraúl teamed up with Marga Rico Jimenez to top Cardenas and Stephanie Gula 8-5.
With the score at 8-7 in favor of the Eagles at No. 1 doubles, the ERAU tandem of Natasa Zoricic and Hana Im fell behind Irina Pljusznyin and Courtney Collins 0-40 in the next set, but battled back to take the next five points and win the match 9-7.
The Bees got a point back at the No. 2 doubles spot as Hilary Collins and Romina Mrochen bested Natalie Anaya and Lindsey Kurtz 8-4.
The Eagles garnered wins at the top two singles spots as Zoricic topped Pljusznyin 6-1, 6-3 and Im defeated Mrochen for the first time this season, 6-3, 6-3.
Courtney Collins made the score 4-2 with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kurtz at No. 4.
With three matches left on the court, the focus shifted to the No. 6 singles contest between Abraúl and Cardenas. Cardenas took the first set 6-4, but Abraúl rebounded to take the second 6-1. Cardenas won the first two points of the third set, but Abraúl fought back, and with her teammates cheering her on from the sidelines, she pulled out the clincher 6-4.
“I'm really proud of the way the ladies played today,” head coach David Paschal said following the match. “It's just a tribute to how hard they've worked all year. We lost to SCAD twice this year, but we just stayed focused on being competitive and not how we were playing.”
“Hats off to Hana who was down a break and came back to win in straight sets against someone she hasn't beaten all year. It was also a huge win for Sara and Marga at No. 3 doubles and I'm just really proud of the team's effort today.”
