SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Lamar University women's tennis team started slow Friday morning, but bounced back quickly for 6-1 victory over Incarnate Word at the UIW Tennis Complex. The Cardinals (8-6/3-3 Southland) have now won five of their last six matches, and moved back to .500 in conference play.
 
"We got out to a very slow start today," said LU head coach David Wong. "We were sluggish at two and three doubles – double-faulted at line two to lose the match. I think we realized we let things slip away in doubles, and came out very strong in singles play. We seemed to hit the ball harder in singles.
 
"I felt like we weren't ready to play at the beginning of the match. Despite UIW's record they are a very dangerous team. This was a hard-fought win. They really made us work to get the victory. I have to give our girls a lot of credit for hanging in there, but I also have a lot of respect for how UIW came ready to play," added Wong.
 
Despite the slow start, LU managed to pick up the first doubles win of the day as the team of Anna Spengler and Andrea Ivanovic knocked off UIW's Rachel Sadiq and Matea Zemunik, 6-3. Shortly their after is when the wheels fell off as UIW's version of the Cardinals picked up a 6-2 win at No. 3 followed by a 6-4 win at the No. 2 position.
 
The Red and White took advantage of the break between doubles and singles to regroup and quickly close the door on Incarnate Word. Ivanovic was the first Cardinal off the court. She tied the match with a 6-4, 6-0 victory at No. 2 singles. Junior Hanna Elfving gave the Cards their first lead of the day when she defeated Clarisa Salinas, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 6 singles.
 
Big Red never looked back closing out the day with four consecutive wins. The third victory came from Spengler at line 3 singles, while junior Talisa Merchiers clinched the victory with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Sarah Savedra at the No. 4 spot. The Cards closed out the day with victories from sophomore Stephanie Marchena (No. 5 singles) and junior Katya Lapayeva (No. 1 singles).
 
The Red and White closes out the current three-match road swing Saturday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The match against the Islanders will begin at noon.
  
Singles
1. Katya Lapayeva (LU) def. Rachel Sadiq (UIW), 5-7, 7-5, 10-1
2. Andrea Ivanovic (LU) def. Matea Zemunik (UIW), 6-4, 6-0
3. Anna Spengler (LU) def. Taryn Strahl (UIW), 6-3, 6-3
4. Talisa Merchiers (LU) def. Sarah Savedra (UIW), 6-2, 6-3
5.  Stephanie Marchena (LU) def. Maria Batchinsky (UIW), 6-3, 6-4
6. Hanna Elfving (LU) def. Clarisa Salinas (UIW), 6-2, 6-2
 
Doubles
1. Spengler/Ivanovic (LU) def. Sadiq/Zemunik (UIW), 6-3
2. Strahl/Savedra (UIW) def. Lapayeva/Di Laura (LU), 6-3
3. Salinas/Dedic (UIW) def. Marchena/Merchiers (LU), 6-2