By Marlene Estenssoro Pineda

HICKORY – North Carolina A&T women's tennis lost 5-2 against the Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears Monday evening at the YMCA. 

The Aggies won at No.2 singles as freshman Cielo Tapia-Cruz improved to 4-2 on the season with a 7-5, 3-6, 10-8 win over Evgeniya Pugina. 

The other win for the Aggies was at No.4 singles. Senior Marlene Estenssoro Pineda won 1-6, 7-6, and her opponent retired on the third set due to an injury during the second set. It was Estenssoro's first win of the season.

"I could not play the third set, but I am happy that I came back through the first set," said Pineda. "Changing my strategy and putting in more hard work was the key to winning that second set."

Before Estenssoro and Tapia-Cruz respective wins, the Bears took the doubles point. The Bears won two out of three in doubles, including at No. 3, where the Aggies had to forfeit. 

They also won at No. 2 to clinch the doubles point as Diana Babinets and Alicia Wahlberg defeated senior Estenssoro and sophomore Manuela Jimenez, 6-2. But the Aggie duo of senior Florielvis Hurtado Pernaleta and Tapia-Cruz won 6-0 against Gemma Southwica and Lucy Whelan.

The Aggies lost No.6 by forfeit before sophomore Trinity Oliver lost 6-2 6-0 against Babinets at No.5. Then, Hurtado Pernaleta lost 6-3, 6-2 against Wahlberg at No.3 singles. The match was clinched for the Bear son Soushwick's 7-5, 6-4 win over Jimenez at No. 1.