PINEVILLE, La. – In a season full of big wins, the #14/#8 Louisiana Christian University women's tennis team picked up perhaps its biggest on Friday, taking down the #6/#2 Xavier Gold Nuggets 4-2 Friday afternoon as part of the LCU/LSUA Tournament at the Richard L. Crowell Tennis Center.
 
#14/#8 Louisiana Christian (11-5, 4-1 RRAC) had to rally for the doubles point after #6/#2 Xavier (14-6, 2-1 RRAC) took the first match to finish, the number three dual. But, in the number two doubles match, Raquel Coelho Rodrigues and Valeria Callejo got the Wildcats back even as they took down their opponents, 6-2.
 
That put the fate of the doubles point on the result of the number one match-up, and it was LCU which took the point in a big way as Farren Allysia Sandy and Elizaveta Mikhailova defeated the #4-ranked tandem in NAIA women's tennis by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), 6-3, putting the Wildcats up 1-0 in the match.
 
After the Gold Nuggets tied the match by winning the number two match-up in singles, the Wildcats reclaimed the lead shortly after as Allysia Sandy took the number six match by a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 score.
 
But Xavier responded, tying the match again by winning the point in number five singles for a 2-2 overall match score.
 
LCU regained the advantage once again as Mikhailova outdueled the NAIA #9 ranked singles player according to the ITA in the number one match by a score of 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, putting the Wildcats up 3-2 and needing just one more point to secure the upset.
 
And that point came from the number four match-up as Akari Uchiyama defeated the NAIA's 75^th-ranked singles competitor by the ITA 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 to give LCU the team win.
 
The Wildcats look to finish the LCU/LSUA Tournament undefeated as they try to sweep a season home-and-home series with (RV) LSU Shreveport. Opening serve of Saturday's match against the Pilots (1-7, 0-4 RRAC) is set for 10 a.m. at the Richard L. Crowell Tennis Center.