VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 37 Valdosta State women's tennis team dug deep and came up with a thrilling 5-2 victory over No. 5 Auburn Montgomery Wednesday afternoon at the VSU Tennis Complex.  
 
The Blazers improved to 7-8 overall and 6-2 in Gulf South Conference play, while AUM fell to 14-5 overall and 7-2 in GSC play.  The win by VSU snapped a four-match losing skid versus the Warhawks and was the first win since a 4-3 victory in Valdosta against AUM on Mar. 3, 2020.  It also marked the highest-ranked victory over a team since VSU downed No. 7 Saint Leo 5-4 on Apr. 6, 2013, in Pensacola, Fla.
 
The Warhawks won all three doubles matches for the early 1-0 lead all by the score of 6-3.  Singles proved to be a different story, however, as the Blazers found momentum with a 6-3, 6-1 win by freshman Aneta Poborilova at No. 3 over Melissa Yakup Pour for a 1-1 score.  From there, sophomore Evelyn Altmaier won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6 over Ane Ibarra for a 2-1 lead.  Junior Kayla Greco put VSU up 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 4 over Regina Urbiola, but the Warhawks used a 6-3, 6-4 win by No. 15 Estefania Garcia over reigning GSC Freshman of the Week Natalie Rainke at the top spot trimming the lead to 3-2. 
 
Blazer freshman Denisa Hanakova dropped the first set 7-6 (7-4) to Ana Villalvazo at No. 2 singles and roared back from a 6-4 win the second set.  Hankaova trailed 1-4 in the third set before rattling off five-straight games for a 6-4 victory to clinch the match.  At No. 5 singles, junior Olivia Pezo won the opening set 7-6 (7-5) over Nahia Izco, but lost the second 6-1, before rallying for a 6-3 win the final set to close the match.  
 
The Blazers continue at home this weekend with three matches as they battle Florida Southern on Friday at 2 p.m., followed by No. 16 Tampa on Saturday at 10 a.m. and No. 42 Hawaii Pacific on Sunday at 1 p.m.