No. 3 Lady Pirates Top Hilltoppers, 5-1

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - After a lengthy rain- and match delay, the No. 3-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State women's tennis team finally began defense of their NCAA Division II Women's Tennis title with a 5-1 win over No. 18-ranked St. Edward's (Texas) on Wednesday evening at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

The Pirates (25-1) and the Hilltoppers (16-7) hit the court at 7:15 p.m. in their match, originally scheduled for 4:00 p.m. The win by the Lady Pirates sends them into the quarterfinals, where they will face California (Pa.) - 5-0 winners over Stonehill on Wednesday - at 1:00 p.m. St. Edward's ends its season after making its first-ever trip to the NCAA's Round of 16.

AASU took a 2-1 lead after doubles as the No. 1 doubles team of Alida Muller-Wehlau and Martina Beckmann defeated Regina Del Bosque and Audrey Tompkins of St. Edward's, 8-3 win. Gabriella Kovacs and Sona Novakova delivered an 8-1 win at No. 2 doubles over Mary Bain and Liz Jacobi. St. Edward's got its only point at No. 3 doubles, with Kathleen Henry and Tina Ronel dropping an 8-6 decision to Heather Brien and Alex Henry.

Singles saw the Pirates clinch the match with wins at No. 1 as top-ranked Novakova remained undefeated in the dual match season with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Tompkins; Muller-Wehlau notched a 6-2, 6-1 win over Del Bosque at No. 2 singles and Kovacs collected a 6-1, 6-0 win over Jacobi at No. 4 singles.