BOX SCORE
LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola stormed back from a late deficit with three straight victories to upset No. 18 Westmont College 5-4 in a GSAC women's tennis match on Tuesday afternoon at the Biola Tennis Center.
The Eagles improve to 6-12, 3-10 in GSAC play while dropping the Warriors to 4-12 overall and 4-8 in conference action.
The victory over Westmont was the first for Biola since the 2004 season and the first over a ranked opponent in recent memory.
Biola got off to a strong start thanks to a pair of wins in doubles competition. Brea Roth and Mariah Pace made quick work at No. 3 doubles, winning 8-3. That was followed by a tough loss at No. 1 doubles which knotted the match at 1-1.
Meanwhile, the No. 2 doubles team of Christine Garner and Kristen Williams were trailing 4-5 in their match, but rallied back to win the final four points and take the match 8-5 to give Biola a 2-1 lead heading into singles.
Westmont pulled back on top with a quick pair of wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles to take back the lead at 3-2. But the Eagles weren't finished, winning the next three matches off to clinch the victory.
Samantha Weng was the first off for the Biola singles winners, winning her match at No. 5 singles 6-0, 6-2. That was followed closely by a victory at No. 4 singles by Williams, who was victorious by scores of 6-2, 6-3. In the second set, Williams trailed 0-3 early on, but rallied to win six-straight games and win the match.
With Biola now leading 4-3, Alisha Hansen clinched the victory at No. 6 singles, winning 6-2, 6-3.
The match was a quick one, lasting just 2:20 minutes after a 3:15 marathon when the Warriors beat Biola 8-1 earlier this season.
"I was very pleased with the way our women played," said Head Coach Dee Henry. "Overall, they made good choices. To do so during the pressure of a match is critical to one's success. At two positions we saw our players make adjustments which resulted in turning their matches around."
Biola returns to action after the break, hosting Hope International University in a GSAC match on Tuesday (Apr. 13) beginning at 2:00 p.m.
