Box Score Women's tennis freshman Arianna Sanjines outlasted Belmont's Kelly Pence, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 at No. 6 singles Saturday to deliver a 4-3 victory for the Lady Mocs.
The match, played indoors at the Hixson Racquet Club, lasted six and one half hours, and Sanjines and Pence were the last two players on the court.
The Lady Mocs, who improve to 3-1 on the season, found themselves down 3-1 after losing the doubles point and two of the top three singles matches.
Chattanooga senior Bonnie Adams bested Lindsay Bennett, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 at No. 4 singles to trim the deficit to 3-2, and freshman Annie Green tied the score with a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 5 over Katie Rhodes.
Sanjines lost the first set but battled back to lose only three games in the final two sets to push Chattanooga over the top.
The Lady Mocs also needed a three-set victory from senior Lindsey Ballard at No. 1 singles. Ballard was down a set and trailed in the second before coming on strong to claim a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 win. It marked the 49th career dual-match victory for Ballard, a native of Lilburn, Ga.
The Bruins, 1-2, won two of three doubles matches to earn the doubles point, and captured wins at singles positions two and three. Whitnie Warren defeated junior Beata Knizat at No. 2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Tatiana Pozo beat freshman Grace Robinette, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3.
The Lady Mocs visit Middle Tennessee Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Chattanooga women 4, Belmont 3
Hixson Racquet Club, Hixson, Tenn.
Doubles (for one team point)
1. Johansson/Pozo (Bel) def. Ballard/Robinette (UTC), 9-8(5)
2. Adams/Knizat (UTC) def. Rhodes/Warren (Bel), 8-4
3. Bennett/Lauren Irick (Bel) def. Green/Sanjines (UTC), 8-5
Singles
1. Lindsey Ballard (UTC) def. Linda Johansson (Bel), 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. Whitnie Warren (Bel) def. Beata Knizat (UTC), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. Tatiana Pozo (Bel) def. Grace Robinette (UTC), 6-3, 6-2
4. Bonnie Adams (UTC) def. Lindsay Bennett (Bel), 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
5. Annie Green (UTC) def. Katie Rhodes (Bel), 6-4, 6-0
6. Arianna Sanjines (UTC) def. Kelly Pence (Bel), 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
Team records: UTC (3-1); Belmont (1-2)
