ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy won three straight singles bouts to break open a 2-2 tie and take down the Longwood women's tennis squad 5-2 in the Lancers' spring opener Saturday afternoon at the Tose Family Tennis Center.
 
After Longwood junior Anna Pelak took down Navy's Rozel Hernandez 6-4, 6-2, in the No. 2 singles spot to tie the match at 2-2, Catalina Rico and Summer Ralston won back-to-back, 6-3, 6-3, singles bouts to clinch the win for the Mids (6-2). The win was the sixth in the past seven matches for the Mids, who were picked to finish third in the Patriot League preseason poll.
 
"I'm very proud of us as a whole today," said Pelak, who also paired with fellow junior Mason Thomas for a 6-4 doubles win. "Navy is a tough team, but we all fought very well and did a great job cheering each other on. It's only our first match of the season, and we've already improved as a team."
 
Navy No. 3 Katie Porter edged Longwood freshman Isis Gill 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9) to complete the late rally, which came after the Lancers (2-1) won the opening doubles point to stake a 1-0 lead. Pelak and thomas set the tone with the opening 6-4 win doubles over the Navy duo of Porter and Carlee Conway, and Longwood's top pairing of freshmen Fallon Burger and Gill followed with a 6-3 win over Rozel Hernandez and Kristine Rojo to clinch the first point.

"I thought winning the doubles point would carry over to singles play, but you could tell we were nervous with this being our first match of the season," said second-year head coach Bruce Myers. "Not to take anything away from Navy, as they're a very deep and talented team, but you could quickly tell they've already played a lot of tennis this year."
 
Navy, playing its eighth match since the start of the new year, showed its experience soon after Longwood's doubles win as Rojo knotted the score with a 6-3, 6-2 singles victory over Burger at the No. 1 singles spot. Ralston followed with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Thomas at No. 5 singles to give the Mids a temporary lead before Pelak knocked off Hernandez to even the score.
 
"I'm proud of the way I played in my matches today," Pelak said. "I thought I fought hard and worked hard for every point. I couldn't have played well without the support from my team, though. We're always cheering each other on, and when we're cheering loudly like we were today, it's a lot easier to play in a tough match like this one."
 
The loss is the first of the competition season for the Lancers, who entered the spring 2-0 after a pair of countable wins over Mount St. Mary's and La Salle at the end of the fall. Longwood continues its weekend road trip Sunday against Richmond at the Country Club of Virginia.

"We play a very good Richmond team tomorrow, but with a short turnaround, hopefully we can put the first-match jitters behind us," Myers said.
 
Navy 5, Longwood 2
Feb. 6, 2016
Annapolis, Md. (Tose Family Tennis Center)
 
Doubles competition
1. BURGER, Fallon/GILL, Isis (LWU) def. HERNANDEZ, Rozel/ROJO, Kristine (NAVY) 6-3
2. PELAK, Anna/THOMAS, Mason (LWU) def. CONWAY, Carlee/PORTER, Katie (NAVY) 6-4
3. JIANG, Sabrina/MACKENZIE, Claudia (NAVY) def. ALATORRE, Paloma/CORONEL, Maria (LWU) 7-6 (12-0)
 
Singles competition
1. ROJO, Kristine (NAVY) def. BURGER, Fallon (LWU) 6-3, 6-2
2. PELAK, Anna (LWU) def. HERNANDEZ, Rozel (NAVY) 6-4, 6-2
3. PORTER, Katie (NAVY) def. GILL, Isis (LWU) 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9-0)
4. CONWAY, Carlee (NAVY) def. ALATORRE, Paloma (LWU) 7-6, 6-3
5. RALSTON, Summer (NAVY) def. THOMAS, Mason (LWU) 6-3, 6-3
6. RICO, Catalina (NAVY) def. CORONEL, Maria (LWU) 6-3, 6-3
 
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,5,2,6,4,3)
 
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