BEAUMONT, Texas – After dropping the doubles point, Lamar University rallied to win four of the next six matches to defeat former conference rival Sam Houston, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Complex.
 
"I'm so proud of this team today," said LU head coach David Wong. "They really battled hard and overcame some tough moments to get the win. We put ourselves in a tough position after doubles, but they responded well. After the disappointment of Friday, I thought we bounced back nicely today."
 
The Cardinals dropped all three doubles matches, including two by scores of 6-4, and Sam Houston managed to take a 2-0 lead before the Cardinals could get on the scoreboard. Freshman Megan Do ended the Bearkats' run when she ousted SHSU's Aaliyah Hohmann, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 6 singles.
 
Do's victory sparked a rally as the Cardinals followed suit with wins at Nos. 4 (Margarita Nikonorova) and 3 (Ana Jolic) singles, respectively. LU's three-straight wins put the Cardinals in front by one needing just one victory on the final two courts. Both courts 2 and 5 went the distance squeezing every bit of drama from the fans in attendance.
 
Unfortunately, the Bearkats were able to stay alive with a victory on court No. 4, but any chance of a Sam Houston road win came to an end with junior Elena Rubio. A native of Spain, Rubio bounced back from a second-set loss to pick the team up and carry them across the finish line. Rubio ousted Vianne Schwab, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to hand LU its first victory of the season.
 
The Cardinals will look to make it two in a row when they head north to take on a very talented North Texas team. The match against the Eagles will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. from Denton.