MONROE, N.C. --- Wingate University won the final four singles matches to pick up a 7-2 victory over Tusculum College in South Atlantic Conference Women's tennis action Friday afternoon at the Monroe High School tennis facility.

The Bulldogs (13-1 overall, 4-0 SAC) are ranked 39th nationally and seventh in the region, while the Pioneers fell to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in the SAC with the loss./>

Tusculum claimed one victory in singles and one in doubles, as Taylor Patterson earned a 6-3, 6-1 victory at flight two singles over Ali Evers and Megan Buckmaster and Blake Thompson combined for a 9-7 win over Morgan Winston and Olivia Poole at flight three doubles./>

Wingate jumped to a 2-0 lead in doubles, as Kara Stasikelis and Kelli Ferguson teamed for an 8-5 win over Courtney Conley and Patterson at flight one and Evers combined with Samatha Alschlager for an 8-2 win at flight two over Kristen Keefer and Katie Hillis./>

In singles, Winston defeated Buckmaster 6-2, 6-1 to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead, but Patterson came back with her straight-set win to cut the margin to 3-2. Poole claimed a victory at flight four as Keefer retired in the first set trailing 2-5, and Ferguson followed with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Thompson at flight five to clinch the match for Wingate./>

Stasikelis needed three sets to earn a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Conley at flight one, and Helen Goreski rounded out action with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Hillis at flight six./>

The Pioneers return to the courts on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Catawba./>