Box Score Lebanon, TN - In a thrilling tennis match against the Cumberland Phoenix, the eighth-ranked Patriots emerged victorious with a 5-2 win. UC came out firing in singles play to continue their undefeated streak in MSC play and improve to 13-1 on the season.
 
Doubles play began with the Phoenix in the lead as Maria Arbelaez and Jessica Hernandez took #1 doubles 6-1. Laura Prieto and Catherine Rae evened the score 1-1 with a 6-4 win at #3 doubles. Rae and Prieto exchanged leads with the Phoenix, before taking the match by scoring the final two points of the match to even doubles.
 
At #2 doubles, Marina Nagai and Fan Shiau took the first two points, before Lara Zugasti and Elina Sungatullina made it 2-1. The matches was tied four different times before Cumberland took the final two points of the match to win 7-5 and give the Phoenix the 1-0 lead going into singles play.
 
Fros got things started for Cumberlands with a straight set win over Alexandra Leisibach a #6 singles, winning 6-0, 6-3, tying the score at 1-1. Arbaelez extended the lead for the Phoenix 2-1 by taking #2 singles 6-0, 6-4. Fan Shiau tied the score by discarding Juanita Mendez 6-0, 6-1 at #4 singles.
 
UC continued to pour it on as Meiri Okuwaki defeated Jessica Hernandez in straight sets to give UC its first lead of the match. The match opened with the two players trading points in the first stanza, before the UC sophomore came away 6-3. The Saitama, Japan native took the second set 6-1 to give Cumberlands the 3-2 advantage.
 
Catherine Rae clinched the match for the Patriots with a win at #5 singles over Laura Zugast. Rae took the first set in a convincing way, winning 6-3. After an exchange of points, Rae came out victorious as she claimed the set 7-6 and the match for the Patriots as they took a 4-2 lead.
 
Marina Nagai finished the day for Cumberlands by beating Elina Sungatullina in three sets. After dropping the first set, Nagai rallied to take the second set 7-5, forcing a decisive third, which she won 10-7.
 
The Patriots will use the momentum from this win as they head south to take on UT Southern tomorrow, April 2nd at 1:00 PM.
 
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