Coaching just his third match in an interim capacity for the Longwood women's tennis program, Stoneman helped propel the Lancers (7-9) to a 6-1 road rout of George Mason Friday afternoon at the George Mason Tennis Courts.
 
"We love Rich," said junior Anna Pelak, whose three-set win at No. 2 singles clinched the victory. "He helped us stay positive and keep believing in ourselves. It was a huge win for our team and something we can build on. We're pumped."
 
The win is Longwood's first since the departure of second-year head coach Bruce Myers, who resigned on March 18 to take over the men's tennis program at University of Delaware. Stoneman, who was elevated to women's soccer associate head coach in December following his third season with the program, stepped in to handle coaching duties for the women's tennis team while Longwood conducts a search for the program's next head coach.
 
Stoneman was at the helm for last weekend's Big South losses to No. 53 Winthrop and Gardner-Webb alongside Longwood men's tennis head coach Pierre Tafelski but deflected praise of Friday's victory to his players.
 
"We asked each other to do three things: compete, fight, and show what we're capable of as a team. These ladies exceeded all three," he said.
 
The win was a redemptive effort for the Lancers, whose last dual showdown against George Mason (3-12) was an 11-1 loss in September. Pelak was the lone winner for Longwood that day, but she had two of Longwood's seven wins Friday.
 
After an early 1-1 tie, Longwood won five straight singles bouts en route to their seventh win of the season. The Lancers now stand within three victories of their second straight 10-win season, which would be the first time the program has reached that plateau in back-to-back seasons in the Division I era.
 
Longwood's win Friday began with a doubles-point clinching win at No. 3 singles from Maria Coronel and Alex Brown, 6-4 over Olivi Lacy-Thompson and Scarlett Walston. That victory came minutes after George Mason's top duo of Brittany Pilkington and Sydney Green upended Longwood's No. 1 freshman pairing of Fallon Burger and Isis Gill-Reid 6-4, knotting the doubles ledge after Lancers Pelak and Mason Thomas won at No. 2 singles.
 
After the 1-0 start, the Lancers relinquished the lead briefly when Pilkington opened singles play with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles over Burger, but the ensuing win at No. 4 singles from Longwood's Mason Thomas, 6-3, 6-1 over Esu Erdenbat, put Longwood ahead for good. Gill-Reid's 6-2, 6-2 win over Morgan Yang at No. 3 made it 3-1 Longwood before Pelak locked up the win with a comeback 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Green at No. 2.
 
Longwood's five-point win is the program's fourth such victory this season. The Lancers are now 3-3 over their past six matches with all three of those wins – and just one loss – coming on the road.
 
"This win over George Mason was a huge one for us, physically and mentally, especially since we played them multiple times in the fall," said the junior Thomas, who leads the team in both singles and doubles wins. "The team fought hard for every point, and I'm happy coach Stoneman's first tennis win was a huge win like this."
 
Stoneman will get a chance to pad his tennis coaching resume Sunday when the Lancers return home to host Hampton at 2 p.m. on the Lancer Courts. That non-conference bout precedes three straight road matches, beginning with a trip to Big South foe Campbell Thursday at 3 p.m.
 
Longwood 6, George Mason 1
March 25, 2016
Fairfax, Va. (George Mason Tennis Courts)
 
Singles
1. PILKINGTON, Brittany (GMU) def. BURGER, Fallon (LWU) 6-1, 6-2
2. PELAK, Anna (LWU) def. GREEN, Sydney (GMU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. GILL-REID, Isis (LWU) def. YANG, Morgan (GMU) 6-2, 6-2
4. THOMAS, Mason (LWU) def. ERDENBAT, Esu (GMU) 6-3, 6-1
5. CORONEL, Maria (LWU) def. WALSTON, Scarlett (GMU) 6-3, 6-0
6. BROWN, Alex (LWU) def. SAYGI, Mina (GMU) 6-4, 0-6, 10-8
 
Doubles
1. PILKINGTON, Brittany/GREEN, Sydney (GMU) def. BURGER, Fallon/GILL-REID, Isis (LWU) 6-4
2. PELAK, Anna/THOMAS, Mason (LWU) def. ERDENBAT, Esu/HAIGWOOD, Nicole (GMU) 6-2
3. CORONEL, Maria/BROWN, Alex (LWU) def. LACY-THOMPSON, Olivi/WALSTON, Scarlett (GMU) 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,4,3,2,5,6)
 
#GoWood