CLINTON, S.C. – For the second straight day, Longwood turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 win with a furious singles rally, this time against Big South foe Presbyterian Sunday afternoon at the Templeton Tennis Courts.
 
The Lancers (8-10, 2-5 Big South) once again relied on control of the doubles point and solid singles play in winning their second straight, once again showcasing a mental toughness that has allowed them to surge back from early deficits. Falling behind 2-1 in both matches this weekend, Longwood overcame both deficits with four straight singles wins, including a pair of three-set victories Sunday.
 
"Two wins on the road isn't easy," said interim coach Rich Stoneman, who improved to 3-3 since taking over on March 18 following the departure of second-year head coach Bruce Myers. "The ladies showed a lot of fight today and this entire weekend. This is a pretty resilient group of players."
 
Junior No. 2 player Anna Pelak was the rally starter in Saturday's 5-2 win at N.C. Central, and classmate Paloma Alatorre followed suit Sunday. After Presbyterian (10-11, 0-7 Big South) avenged the doubles point loss with back-to-back singles wins at Nos. 1 and 2, Alatorre made quick work of Brittany Nuttall 7-5, 6-4 at No. 4 singles to knot the score at 2-2.
 
From there, Longwood rolled to three more singles wins from Maria Coronel at No. 6, Mason Thomas at No. 5 and Isis Gill-Reid at No. 3 to bookend the win.
 
"We knew this was an important match, so we were a bit nervous, but I'm so proud of this team because we used those nerves in a positive way," said Alatorre. "We were down 1-2 at one point, and every single one of us used that as motivation to fight even harder. We were strong mentally, and I think that's why we won."
 
That fortitude propelled the Lancers to their second Big South win of the season, giving the program its first multi-conference win season in four years as a Big South affiliate. The Lancers are 2-5 in Big South play with remaining conference bouts against first-place Liberty this Tuesday and third-place Coastal Carolina Saturday.
 
The Big South win draws to a close a four-match road swing for the Lancers, who went 3-1 on that trip for the program's winningest stretch against Division I programs since a 6-2 finish to the 2011-12 season, Longwood's final year as an independent institution.
 
Currently in possession of what would be their best Big South finish in four years in the league, the Lancers could make a push to crack the top half of the standings with wins in their final two Big South bouts before capping the regular season with three straight non-conference matches entering the Big South Championship.
 
That run starts Tuesday at 2 p.m. against rival Liberty at the Lancer Courts.  The match will also serve as Senior Day for Longwood veteran Maria Coronel, who is in the midst of a breakout 8-8 singles campaign in her final year.
 
Longwood 5, Presbyterian 2
April 3, 2016
Clinton, S.C. (Templeton Tennis Courts)
 
Singles
1. Celine Schepers (PC) def. BURGER, Fallon (LWU) 6-0, 6-2
2. Tracy Johnson (PC) def. PELAK, Anna (LWU) 6-3, 6-4
3. GILL-REID, Isis (LWU) def. Demi Henschel (PC) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. ALATORRE, Paloma (LWU) def. Brittany Nuttall (PC) 7-5, 6-4
5. THOMAS, Mason (LWU) def. Claire M Andrews (PC) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
6. CORONEL, Maria (LWU) def. Nicole Croxton (PC) 6-4, 7-5
 
Doubles
1. BURGER, Fallon/GILL-REID, Isis (LWU) def. Demi Henschel/Nicole Croxton (PC) 6-3
2. PELAK, Anna/THOMAS, Mason (LWU) def. Tracy Johnson/Claire M Andrews (PC) 6-2
3. Brittany Nuttall/Celine Schepers (PC) def. CORONEL, Maria/ALATORRE, Paloma (LWU) 7-5
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,2,4,6,5,3)

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