FARMVILLE, Va. –Radford was able to build an early 3-0 advantage over Longwood on a chilly afternoon in Farmville, but Longwood refused to quit. The Lancers responded with a furious comeback attempt, but their bid fell just short.
 
The Longwood women's tennis team stormed back, but Radford (4-3, 2-2 Big South) escaped Farmville with a 4-3 win on Friday afternoon at the Lancer courts. Maria Saez, Marija Venta, and Crystal Nzewi lead a charge that saw the Lancers rally to win three singles matches and work their way back into the match after facing an early deficit. However, the Highlanders' Dousile Dzeubou was able to outlast Emma Nurgazieva in a three set match featuring two tiebreaks for the deciding point.
 
After dropping the opening two doubles matches, the Lancers trailed 1-0 entering singles play. Radford ace Anastasia Belyaeva earned the win in the first position and Tyler Blalock notched a win in the fourth slot to give Radford a 3-0 advantage with four matches in progress.
 
Longwood (6-3, 0-2 Big South) responded by mounting a furious comeback attempt—trailing 5-2 in the opening set to Radford's Alexis Cramer, Venta won the ensuing four games before prevailing in a one-sided tiebreak to capture the opening set. The senior carried that momentum into the second set, winning it 6-2 to get the Lancers within two of the Highlanders, 3-1.
 
On the third court, freshman Maria Saez was locked in a duel with Radford's Malin Falk. After winning the first set comfortably, 6-2, Saez dropped the second set, setting the stage for a pivotal final stanza. The Alicante, Spain native delivered, winning a dramatic 12^th game on her way to a 7-5 win in the third set, drawing the Lancers within one.
 
In a match deciding battle, Nurgazieva and Dzeubou clashed in a back-and-forth contest that saw each side earn a match point. After dropping the first set in a tiebreak, Nurgazieva stormed back with a 6-2 win in the second set. In an exciting finish to the dual's penultimate match, the pair again were forced to enter the tiebreak knotted at 6-6 in the final set. Dzeubou rallied to win the tiebreak 7-5, earning what would serve as the clinching point for Radford. Nzewi put the finishing touches on her win over Katey Fruehauf shortly after, bringing the final to 4-3.
 
The loss ended a two-dual winning streak for the Lancers, and was their first loss on their home courts. Despite Friday's defeat, all six participants remained .500 or better in singles play in 2020, where as the team the Lancers boast a 30-18 mark.
 
The Lancers continue their Big South slate this weekend, when they host USC Upstate on Sunday, March 8.

DOUBLES
1. DZEUBOU, Drousile/BLALOCK, Tyler (RAD) def. ALMIRON, Yulia/SAEZ, Maria (LWU) 6-0
2. FALK, Malin/FRUEHAUF, Katey (RAD) def. NURGAZIEVA, Emma/NZEWI, Crystal (LWU) 6-0
3. VENTA, Marija/BREUNIG, Jamie (LWU) vs. BELYAEVA, Anastasia/CRAMER, Alexis (RAD) 4-3, unfinished
 
SINGLES
1. BELYAEVA, Anastasia (RAD) def. ALMIRON, Yulia (LWU) 6-2, 6-3
2. DZEUBOU, Drousile (RAD) def. NURGAZIEVA, Emma (LWU) 7-6, 2-6, 7-6
3. SAEZ, Maria (LWU) def. FALK, Malin (RAD) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
4. BLALOCK, Tyler (RAD) def. BREUNIG, Jamie (LWU) 6-3, 7-5
5. VENTA, Marija (LWU) def. CRAMER, Alexis (RAD) 7-6, 6-2
6. NZEWI, Crystal (LWU) def. FRUEHAUF, Katey (RAD) 6-4, 7-6
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,4,5,3,2,6)
 
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