SUMTER, SC - The Newberry College women's tennis team delivered a thrilling 4-3 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne in the opening round of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championship on Wednesday morning. The tightly contested match came down to the final singles court, where junior Emma Arnal sealed the win in dramatic fashion.

Newberry had to battle from behind after dropping the doubles point, with Lenoir-Rhyne taking victories on Courts 1 and 3. Alexa Gamborino-Suarez and Margarita Rhoska's match was left unfinished with the Wolves up 4-3.

The Wolves bounced back in singles play with dominant performances, where Aina Miralles, Gamborino-Suarez, and Renee Dorval earned straight-set wins to put Newberry in a position to clinch. Miralles dominated on Court 4 (6-2, 6-2), while Gamborino-Suarez (6-1, 6-0) and Dorval (6-2, 6-1) added strong performances on Courts 5 and 6 respectively.

With the score tied at 3-3, all eyes turned to Court 1. Arnal, facing Lenoir-Rhyne's Runa Muderrisoglu, dropped a hard-fought first set 5-7 but roared back to take the second 6-2. In the decisive third set, Arnal held her nerve and closed out the match 6-3, sending the Wolves through to the semifinals.

With this win, Newberry now advances to face the No. 2 seed Wingate Bulldogs tomorrow in the SAC semifinals.

Doubles
Favaron | Orsini (LRU) def. Emma Arnal | Renee Dorval (NEW) – 6-3
Margarita Roshka | Alexa Gamborino-Suarez (NEW) vs Wahlberg | Magnusson (LRU) – 4-3 (unfinished)
Muderrisoglu | Allison (LRU) def. Lina Sarhan | Hazel Vernon (NEW) – 6-2

Singles
Emma Arnal (NEW) def. Runa Muderrisoglu (LRU) – 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
Nellie Wahlberg (LRU) def. Margarita Roshka (NEW) – 6-1, 0-6, 6-2
Claudia Orsini (LRU) def. Lina Sarhan (NEW) – 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Aina Miralles (NEW) def. Esther Magnusson (LRU) – 6-2, 6-2
Alexa Gamborino-Suarez (NEW) def. Johanna Selde (LRU) – 6-1, 6-0
Renee Dorval (NEW) def. Enrica Favaron (LRU) – 6-2, 6-1