FARMVILLE, Va. – Down 2-1 on a windy, overcast day on the road, Longwood junior Anna Pelak sparked a furious comeback with the first of four straight singles wins to lead the Lancers to a 5-2 road win at N.C. Central Saturday afternoon at NCCU Tennis Courts.
 
Pelak, who also clinched Longwood's 6-1 road win at George Mason last week, defeated N.C. Central's Mia Ramic 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 singles to ignite a run of four straight points that lifted the Lancers (8-10, 1-5 Big South) to their second win in their past three matches.
 
"The ladies did a great job of playing consistent tennis and winning points at the net," said interim coach Rich Stoneman, who has guided the Lancers to two wins in his past three matches. "All in all, we played smart tennis in high winds and fought for every point. I'm very proud of these ladies for showing such class."
 
The match echoed the Lancers' 6-1 win at George Mason on March 25 in which the Lancers broke open an early tie by winning out in singles play. That rally, which was Stoneman's first victory since stepping in to run the program following the departure of head coach Bruce Myers on March 18, included five straight singles wins, including the clincher from Pelak.
 
Saturday against N.C. Central (3-10), Pelak played instigator with the straight-sets win over Ramic that tied the match at 2-2 and set in motion consecutive straight-sets wins from Isis Gill-Reid at No. 3, Mason Thomas at No. 5 and Maria Coronel at No. 6.
 
Thomas' win clinched the match, which put the Lancers within two victories of recording double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the program's nine-year Division I era.
 
"Against a team like N.C. Central, we couldn't give away any free points," said Thomas, who won at No. 5 singles over Lynsey Cover and at No. 2 doubles alongside Pelak over Ramic and Cover.
 
"We started strong winning the doubles point, and we wavered some, but we pushed through. We knew were capable of beating this team if we fought for every point and stayed positive."
 
Winners of two of their past three matches, Longwood enters the stretch run of Big South play with three straight conference showdowns, beginning with Sunday's bout at Presbyterian. The Lancers then return home Tuesday to host rival Liberty at 2 p.m. followed by the Big South finale against Coastal Carolina on April 8. The bout against Liberty will serve as senior day for Lancer No. 6 Maria Coronel.
 
Longwood 5, N.C. Central 2
April 02, 2016
Durham, N.C. (NCCU Tennis Courts)
 
Singles
1. MUAMBA, Aissa (NCCU) def. BURGER, Fallon (LWU) 6-2, 6-0
2. PELAK, Anna (LWU) def. RAMIC, Mia (NCCU) 6-1, 6-1
3. GILL-REID, Isis (LWU) def. ROGERS, Jamie (NCCU) 6-0, 6-4
4. GABRIEL, Jasmine (NCCU) def. ALATORRE, Paloma (LWU) 6-0, 6-2
5. THOMAS, Mason (LWU) def. COVER, Lynsey (NCCU) 6-2, 4-0, retired
6. CORONEL, Maria (LWU) def. JEREMIC, Tamara (NCCU) 6-0, 6-4
 
Doubles
1. MUAMBA, Aissa/ROGERS, Jamie (NCCU) vs. BURGER, Fallon/GILL-REID, Isis (LWU) 3-4, unfinished
2. PELAK, Anna/THOMAS, Mason (LWU) def. RAMIC, Mia/COVER, Lynsey (NCCU) 6-0
3. CORONEL, Maria/ALATORRE, Paloma (LWU) def. JEREMIC, Tamara/GABRIEL, Jasmine (NCCU) 6-2
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (4, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6)

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