MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College women's tennis team picked up a critical Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory over Grove City College with a hard-fought 7-2 decision over the Wolverines on Tuesday evening at the Robertson Athletic Complex.

The first-place Gators (6-1, 5-0 PAC) handed Grove City (7-3, 4-1 PAC) its first conference loss of the fall season. Allegheny, the only remaining PAC team with an undefeated conference record, has a leg up on hosting rights for this year's championship, while Grove City will likely have to battle Franciscan University to decide the second and third seeds.

Although the final score considerably favored Allegheny, the Wolverines, who were voted No. 3 in the PAC's preseason coaches' poll, gave the Gators a run for their money. Three matches needed a tiebreaker to decide a winner, and the only match of the evening that did not feature any anxious moments was Grove City's 8-1 win in the top doubles contest.

Jean-Arlette Legrand (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Commonwealth Parkville School) and Emiliia Grydnieva (Kyiv, Ukraine/Optima) gave Allegheny a 2-1 lead following the doubles portion of the match by winning a seven-point tiebreaker for a narrow 8-7 win. Grydnieva, despite being hampered by an injury, was the first off the court with a 6-1, 6-4 singles win at the No. 2 spot. Legrand then widened Allegheny's lead to 4-1, as she came from behind to claim the first set against Catherine Petrovich, 7-5, then cruised to a 6-0 second-set triumph.

Sabrina Rodriguez (Kissimmee, Fla./Professional and Technical) won the clinching match at No. 3 singles by a 7-5, 6-3 score. Rei Etsumi (Honolulu, Hawaii/President William McKinley), the reigning PAC Newcomer of the Week, overcame a loss in her opening set to defeat Alyssa Good, 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (7). Noelle Kidd (Broadview Heights, Ohio/North Royalton) outlasted her singles opponent, 6-4, 7-5, for a win on the sixth court.

Doubles Results
1. Janel McCray / Emily Ivory def. Sabrina Rodriguez / Maria Lounder, 8-1
2. Jean-Arlette Legrand / Emiliia Grydnieva def. Catherine Petrovich / Alyssa Good, 8-7 (2)
3. Rei Etsumi / Lauren Passarelli def. Nicolette Rosati / Lexi Chappel, 8-5

Singles Results
1. Jean-Arlette Legrand def. Catherine Petrovich, 7-5, 6-0
2. Emiliia Grydnieva def. Lexi Chappel, 6-1, 6-4
3. Sabrina Rodriguez def. Emily Ivory, 7-5, 6-3
4. Peyton Jones def. Maria Lounder, 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (3)
5. Rei Etsumi def. Alyssa Good, 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (7)
6. Noelle Kidd def. Janel McCray, 6-4, 7-5

Up Next
Allegheny women's tennis celebrates Senior Day on Thursday, October 5, at 4:30 p.m., when the Gators host Saint Vincent College for a PAC showdown.