DURHAM, NC – The North Carolina A&T women's tennis team has amazingly been able to withstand essentially going into every match thus far this season, trailing by two points. But the Aggies could not pull it off Saturday afternoon at the NCCU Tennis Courts. The Aggies lost to their longtime rivals North Carolina Central University (NCCU), 5-2, after defaulting at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles. 

The Eagles grabbed the doubles point when Kennedy Hill and Candice Bernier defeated the A&T duo of sophomore Cielo Tapia-Cruz and Nuria Sanz, 6-3 at No. 1 doubles. Freshmen Lana Caculovic and Nour Gueblaoui trailed Jade Houston and Lafi Joao 5-4 when officials ended the match once NCCU won at No. 1 doubles.

But the Aggies, who dropped to 3-2 on the season, have faced the 0-2 deficit obstacle before and somehow figured out how to come up with four singles wins to compete. And that looked to be the case on Saturday as Sanz came away with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Bernier at No. 3 singles. 

"My singles match was difficult because of the weather," said Sanz. "I didn't know how to play at the beginning, but I figured it out and started working and fighting for each point. The wind was for the two of us, and the way that each one of us used it was the key to the match. What helped me the most was the change in my serve and being more positive."

The Aggies tied the match at 2 when Caculovic defeated Hill at No. 1 singles, 7-5, 6-1. Caculovic won despite falling behind 4-0 to Hill in the opening set. But Caculovic rallied to take a 6-5 lead before winning the decisive point. She rolled to the straight-set win with a dominant performance in set No. 2. 

"I didn't have a good start. I didn't have the focus I should have," said Caculovic. "After losing four games, I realized I had to change my attitude on the court and start fighting more. That's what I did. I stayed focused until the last ball, which resulted in a win."

Gueblaoui looked poised to give the Aggies the lead after winning her first set over Houston at No. 4 singles. But Houston fought back to win the final two sets, 6-3, 6-3, to give the Eagles a 3-2 advantage. 

"The match was tight from the beginning," said Gueblaoui. I managed to win the first, but the second and third sets were close too. But I wasn't there on the decisive points which made the difference. Overall, I still fought and gave everything I had. But it didn't work today, but I still have much to work on and improve to come back stronger."

Another heartbreaking three-set loss, this one at No. 2 singles, clinched the win for NCCU. After losing the first set to Alejandra Hidalgo, Tapia-Cruz bounced back with a 7-5 win in set No. 2. But Hidalgo would win the third set and the match, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, to give the Eagles the decisive point. Joao defeated A&T freshman Asima Sazan 6-4, 6-4 at No. 5 singles.

A & T returns to competition on March 14 when they face Morgan State at 1 p.m. from the Dudley High School Tennis Courts.