VALDOSTA, Ga. – Following three heartbreaking losses to very good teams, the Valdosta State women's tennis team broke through Wednesday with a 6-1 win over No. 20 Lee in the Blazers' Gulf South Conference opener.  
 
The Blazers improved to 2-3 on the year and 1-0 in GSC play, while Lee suffered its first loss of the season (4-1) and fell to 2-1 in league play.  VSU improved to 14-2 all-time against Lee and snapped a two-match skid against the Lady Flames.
 
On a beautiful day in South Georgia, the Blazers came out and won the doubles point with convincing wins at Nos. 2 and 3 as Blazer duo of Carmelle Vial and Kitti Nemeth won at No. 3 without dropping a game and junior Charleigh Fay and sophomore Ivana Castillo Hurtado won 6-3 at No. 2.  Blazer top duo of Lena Beckx and Milica Prokic held a 6-5 lead when the point was clinched.
 
With all of the momentum from doubles, the Blazers continued the strong play into singles as Vial downed Maria Duarte 7-5, 6-0 at No. 5 for a 2-0 lead, while Fay won 6-4, 6-2 over Vitoria Maximilano at No. 4 for a 3-0 lead and Beckx won 6-3, 6-4 at the top spot over Rima Yoshida to clinch the win.  Ena Arnautovic won at No. 6 for a 5-0 lead, 6-2, 6-0.    
 
 
Lee's No. 39-ranked Andrea Pascual downed Prokic, 6-2, 6-4 to get the Lady Flames on the board.  Castillo Hurtado and No. 52-ranked Aliyah Dwyer split the first two sets with Castillo Hurtado winning the first 7-5, while Dwyer won 7-6 (7-4) in the second.  The players played a super tiebreaker as Castillo Hurtado won 12-10 for a 6-1 win. 
 
The Blazers return to action on Sunday in Pensacola, Fla., to face Delta State in a neutral site matchup beginning at 3 p.m. ET.