BOARDMAN, Ohio – The UIC women's tennis team (10-4, 1-0 HL) kept its composure and executed at the right time as it took out the reigning conference champion Youngstown State (6-8, 0-1 HL), 4-3, Friday night in its Horizon League opener at the Boardman Tennis Center.
 
The Flames won the doubles point for the fourth-straight match as it took the top two positions. The standout tandem of Melika LeBlanc and Rachel Le Comber, who now own a season record of 6-3, came away with the first match at No. 1 in a 6-2 final. After Georgie Sanders and Stefana Vasic fell, 6-2, at No. 3, Oana Manole and Bianca Zuzu fought off the tiebreaker at No. 2 with a 7-6 (7) win to clinch the point.
 
UIC continued its progression into singles where the Penguins would eventually tie the match at 3-3. Miranda Rodriguez Diaz de Leon was able to make quick work of her match at No. 6 against Ana Stroe as she won her fourth straight in a 6-4, 6-0 final. YSU then collected their first point as LeBlanc was bested by Sofia Macias, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 3.
 
The two-point advantage was in the Flames favor after Le Comber cleaned up in straight sets at No. 5 over Imaan Hassim, 6-4, 6-3. However, the Penguins would take the next two matches as Sanders fells to Noelly Longi Nsimba, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 2 and Manole was unable to build off her first set win at No. 1 against the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year in Dominika Lackova, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
 
With the match on the line, Zuzu gave it her all while positioned at No. 4. She posted a 6-4 win in the first set before she dropped the second set, 6-3. Into the third set, she worked back from a 4-1 deficit to come out on top, 6-4, against Nehel Sahni for the 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
 
The Flames will look to carry over momentum into Saturday, when they will be faced with Cleveland State at 1 p.m. CT at Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion in Cleveland.