DURHAM, N.C. – For a team that had gone an entire month between matches, Longwood women's tennis showed no signs of rust when they finally returned to the court Wednesday.
 
Resuming their 2018 schedule after a 30-day break from competition, the Lancers rode straight-sets singles wins from sophomore Jamie Breunig and freshman Julia Candiotto to a 6-1 road victory over N.C. Central at the NCCU Tennis Courts.
 
Along with their singles wins, Breunig and Candiotto also won their respective doubles matches – Breunig at No. 1 with Marija Venta, and Candiotto at No. 3 with Tanja Skalda – to set the tone for a runaway victory that saw Longwood clinch the match before N.C. Central even got on the board.
 
"We were all really excited to be back playing matches and competing," said Breunig, who has won both her spring matches in straight-sets and is now 2-0 in doubles play with partner Venta.
 
"Today's match went well, and we definitely will use today to help us improve in certain areas of our game. It was a good start to the season, and I'm looking forward to using this match as motivation moving forward."
 
The win, despite the month-long break from competition, was Longwood's second straight and improved the squad's spring record to 2-0 under second-year head coach Maria Lopez. Longwood has now won its first two matches this season a combined 12-1, including a 6-0 sweep of Bluefield State in the season opener back on Jan. 27.
 
"Winning feels good, but that's not all we are after," Lopez said. "To be better and have the results we want, we need to handle opportunities and not take them for granted. The team understands that we need to compete better and be more disciplined to have more success."
 
Breunig and freshman teammate Kaori Terunuma played key roles in Longwood's run to an early victory Wednesday, both following doubles play with singles wins to give the Lancers a 3-0 lead. Terunuma sparked that run by rallying from a first-set loss to upend N.C. Central's Sofia Miller 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 and give the Lancers a 2-0 lead.
 
Breunig fed off that momentum and made quick work of Eagles No. 3 Polina Sakharova 6-4, 6-3 before freshman teammate Yulia Almiron locked up the team win shortly after with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 victory over Maru Berghaus at the No. 2 slot.
 
N.C. Central's lone win came at the top singles spot, as Eagles ace Jamie Rogers grinded out a narrow 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5) win over Venta. Skalda and Candiotto avenged Venta down the stretch, picking up singles wins at the Nos. 5 and 6 spots to close out the win.
 
Wednesday's victory signals the start of a spring break gauntlet for the Lancers, who will play six matches in a 10-day span. Among those are the upcoming Big South opener at Charleston Southern this Friday, March 2, another Big South showdown at Campbell on Saturday and a road trip to take on No. 19 Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.
 
"We have a big week ahead of us with the beginning of conference play and spring break," Lopez said. "We will continue to make adjustments as we keep moving forward."
 
Longwood 6, N.C. Central 1
Feb 28, 2018 at Durham, N.C. (NCCU Tennis Courts)
 

Singles competition

1. ROGERS,Jamie (NCCUWT) def. VENTA, Marija (LWUW) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5)

2. ALMIRON, Yulia (LWUW) def. BERGHAUS,Maru (NCCUWT) 7-5, 5-7, 6-0

3. BREUNIG, Jamie (LWUW) def. SAKHAROVA,Polina (NCCUWT) 6-4, 6-3

4. TERUNUMA, Kaori (LWUW) def. MILLER,Sofia (NCCUWT) 4-6, 6-1, 6-0

5. SKALDA, Tanja (LWUW) def. PENA,Emily (NCCUWT) 6-2, 6-0

6. CANDIOTTO, Julia (LWUW) def. MULLIS,Lauren (NCCUWT) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles competition

1. VENTA, Marija/BREUNIG, Jamie (LWUW) def. ROGERS,Jamie/SAKHAROVA,Polina (NCCUWT) 7-5

2. BERGHAUS,Maru/MILLER,Sofia (NCCUWT) def. ALMIRON, Yulia/TERUNUMA, Kaori (LWUW) 6-4

3. CANDIOTTO, Julia/SKALDA, Tanja (LWUW) def. PENA,Emily/MULLIS,Lauren (NCCUWT) 7-6 (7-3)

Match Notes

Longwood 2-0

N.C. Central 0-6

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,3,2,1,6,5)

Official: Steven Akiyama T-4:05 A-30

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