DURHAM, N.C. – N.C. Central freshman Ivana Dragovic punctuated a comeback win with a straight-set, match-winning victory at No. 6 singles to send the Eagles to a 4-3 triumph over Longwood Saturday afternoon at the NCCU Tennis Courts.
 
In a back-and-forth match that saw Longwood (5-2) overcome a doubles-point loss and stake a 3-2 lead behind singles wins from Jamie Breunig, Emma Nurgazieva and Anika Tylek, it was the Eagles (2-5) who grasped the last swing of momentum to pull out the victory.
 
Frida Cnossen sparked the comeback with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Longwood's Marija Venta at the No. 1 spot, followed by a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 win from Maru Berghaus over Longwood No. 2 Yulia Almiron. Berghaus' three-set comeback tied the match at 3-3 and negated the straight-set wins Longwood got from Breunig at No. 3 and Tylek at No. 5, as well a three-set victory from Nurgazieva at No. 4 that was the Longwood freshman standout's seventh straight.
 
With the match tied at 3-3, Dragovic then rode the Eagles' wave of momentum to her 6-4, 6-3 clincher over Longwood redshirt freshman Crystal Nzewi.
 
The loss is only Longwood's second of the season and temporarily derails the program's best start of the Division I era. Nurgazieva improved to a team-best 7-0 on the spring, while Breunig improved to 5-2 with her singles win and Tylek jumped to 6-1.
 
Longwood will now get an eight-day break between matches before heading to Washington & Lee for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, March 10.
 
N.C. Central 4, Longwood 3
March 2, 2019
Durham, N.C. (NCCU Tennis Courts)
 
Singles competition
1. CNOSSEN,Frida (NCCUW) def. VENTA, Marija (LWU) 6-2, 6-3
2. BERGHAUS,Maru (NCCUW) def. ALMIRON, Yulia (LWU) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
3. BREUNIG, Jamie (LWU) def. GAINES,Hannah (NCCUW) 6-4, 6-2
4. NURGAZIEVA, Emma (LWU) def. MILLER,Sofia (NCCUW) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
5. TYLEK, Anika (LWU) def. SAKHAROVA,Polina (NCCUW) 6-1, 6-1
6. DRAGOVIC,Ivana (NCCUW) def. NZEWI, Crystal (LWU) 6-4, 6-3
 
Doubles competition
1. CNOSSEN,Frida/GAINES,Hannah (NCCUW) def. ALMIRON, Yulia/BREUNIG, Jamie (LWU) 6-4
2. VENTA, Marija/NURGAZIEVA, Emma (LWU) def. DRAGOVIC,Ivana/BERGHAUS,Maru (NCCUW) 6-2
3. PENA,Emily/MILLER,Sofia (NCCUW) def. TYLEK, Anika/NZEWI, Crystal (LWU) 6-4
 
Match Notes
Longwood 5-2
N.C. Central 2-5
 
T-3:22 A-30
 
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