Asheville, N.C. - Radford’s women’s tennis team was downed by UNC Asheville, 4-3, in their Big South Conference opener in Asheville. The Bulldogs picked up the doubles point, taking the No. 2 and No. 3 matches and then earned victories at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 singles to pull out the one point win.

Caroline Downs, Ashley Stevenson and Laura Dickinson picked up singles victories for the Highlanders, while the doubles team of Jihane Najdi and Cristina Glass earned a win in the #1 doubles match.

The Highlanders are off for the next three weeks. They will return to the courts on March 22 when they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. for a match with Winthrop at 1 p.m.

RESULTS

SINGLES

1. Natsha Lucki (UNCA) def. Jihane Najdi (RU) 6-3, 6-4

2. Oksana Zaluzhna (UNCA) def. Cristina Glas (RU) 6-7, 6-4, 6-4

3. Caroline Downs (RU) def. Levcadie Collot (UNCA) 6-3, 6-4

4. Ashley Stevenson (RU) def. Stacey Witkowski (UNCA) 7-6, 6-1

5. Ashley Jones (UNCA) def. Diane Duarte (RU), 6-4, 6-4

6. Laura Dickinson (RU) def. Emily Ackea-Estes, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5

DOUBLES

1. Najdi/Glas (RU) def. Collot/Witkowski (UNCA) 8-5

2. Lucki/Ackea-Estes (UNCA) def. Downs/Stevenson (RU) 8-1

3. Zaluzhna/Jones (UNCA) def. Duarte/Dickinson (RU) 8-4