CHARLESTON, WV – The 44th-ranked IUP women's tennis team soared to an 8-1 victory over Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponent, Charleston on Sunday.

The Crimson Hawks have extended their winning streak to three matches, posting a 9-5 overall record for the year. With the loss, the University of Charleston now falls to 12-9 on the year.

Though the match score was 8-1, IUP had its hands full, having multiple matches reach a third set. No. 5 Rachel Wood (Nottingham, U.K./West Bridgrord) was the first Crimson Hawk to earn a three-set win. After dropping her first set in a tie-break, 6-7 (7-5), she fought to take the next two, 6-2, 11-9. No. 3 Erika Schnaas (Mexico City, Mexico/Escuela Nacional Preparatoria ), who lost in three sets yesterday, bounced back to win in three today. She too lost her first set, 4-6, but was able to close out her match, winning her final two sets 6-3, 6-0.

Tanya Timko (Cannonsburg, PA/Chartiers-Houston) picked up another victory today. She defeated Charleston's No. 1, 7-5, 6-1. Alanna McFail (Fort Washington, Md. /St. John's College ), playing in the No. 6 spot, picked up her eighth win of the spring, 6-3, 6-3. No. 4 Ranvita Mahto (Burlington, ON/Robert Bateman), who is undefeated in March singles play, won 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
Sophie Butland (Taunton, Somerset U.K./Bishop Fox's Community School) was the only Crimson Hawk to suffer a loss today, though she did not go down without a fight. She lost the first set 4-6, but battled back to take the second, 6-3. Butland gave her opponent all she could handle, but ultimately ended up losing the third set, 8-10.

The Crimson Hawks continue to dominate in doubles as well. They swept all three matches of the day. The first team to earn a victory was Butland and Mahto. Playing at No. 2 doubles, they earned a 8-5 victory. No. 3 McFail and Wood were the next pair to finish, picking up an 8-6 win. Timko and Schnaas gave the Crimson Hawks their third point of the match going into singles play. The No. 1 team finished their opponents with an 8-6 win.

The Crimson Hawks will return home to face Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West opponent Mercyhurst. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, April 1, at 3:30 p.m. The Maple Street Courts will host IUP's third conference match of the spring.