THIBODAUX, La. - Facing a 3-1 deficit, the Nicholls State University women's tennis team claimed three consecutive third-set victories to defeat ULM, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at the Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex.
Constanza Cruz started the rally with a dominating 6-1 win in her final set at No. 4. Then on the No. 2 court,
Sophia Sara Safarova fought off four match points against Oleksandra Balaba before rallying for a 7-5 victory. With the team score tied at 3-3,
Simona Maksimovic finished off the comeback with a 7-5 win in her third set at No. 1.
With the win, Nicholls improved to 2-1 on the season. The victory was also the first ever at the new Thibodaux Regional Sports Complex. ULM slipped to 1-5 overall.
The Warhawks started off the match by taking the doubles point. Cruz and
Laura Lopez dropped the No. 1 court, 6-2, and
Dareen Hassan/
Carla Bouygues and Maksimovic/Safarova each fell 6-4 in their matches.
In singles, Nicholls tied it up with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 6 by Bouygues. She improved to 3-0 this season with the victory.
ULM regained the advantage after a straight-set win by Giovanna Pereira over Lopez. Hassan was then outlasted in three sets against Alice Klinteby at No. 3, setting up the big comeback for Nicholls.
"It was an epic day for the Colonels, picking up a win over a Sun Belt program," said
Greg Harkins, Nicholls tennis head coach. "We had great crowd support and we appreciate everything from the community. I'm really proud of the girls, but we still have a lot of work to do to continue to grow and get better."
UP NEXT
The women are back on the courts on Tuesday, Feb. 7 as the Colonels host Alcorn at 11 a.m. The men's match vs. Alcorn will follow around 2 p.m.
