The Lady Colonel tennis team had to rely on its best player and she rose to the occasion and answered the call. Freshman Melanie Nolt (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central) pulled out a straight-set win at No. 1 singles to be the deciding match in a 5-4 win over Dickinson.

The two teams were tied at four before Nolt and Joelle Nitzbereg squared off in the final singles match of the day. Nolt won the first set 6-4, before winning the second set and match 6-3.

The match went back and fourth from start to finish as the Lady Colonels jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the doubles competition after Nolt and Katie Lyon took down Nitzbereg and Leigh Oczkowski 8-2 and the No. 1 spot. Wilkes quickly made it 2-0 when Xiaoqiao Zhang (Zhengzhou City, China/Warren Hills (N.J.)) and Alexis Donner (Belmar, NJ/Wall) took an 8-3 win over Dickinson's Caitlin McGovern and Alex Bybel, sister of Wilkes player Victoria Bybel (Lancaster/Lancaster Mennonite). Dickinson cut into the Lady Colonel lead by winning the third doubles match 8-6.

In singles play, Donner padded Wilkes' lead after her 6-1, 6-0 win over McGovern at the No. 5 spot, but Bybel would answer for Dickinson as she took a 6-1, 6-2 win over Michelle Knight (Roaming Shores, OH/Trinity) at the No. 4 spot.

Lyon brought Wilkes closer to victory with her 6-2, 6-2 win at the No. 2 position, but back-to-back wins by Dickinson tied the match at four before Nolt's heroics.

The Lady Colonels are now 2-0 on the year and will head to Dallas, Pa. to take on Misericordia at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.


Singles
1 Melanie Nolt (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central), WU def. Joelle Nitzbereg 6-4, 6-3
2 Katie Lyon, WU def. Leigh Oczkowski 6-2, 6-2
3 Nora Hajnoczky, DC def. Xiangiao Zhang 6-4, 6-4
4 Alex Bybel, DC def. Michell Knight 6-1, 6-2
5 Alexis Donner (Belmar, NJ/Wall), WU def. Caitlin McGovern 6-1, 6-0
6 Sarah Lindner, DC def. Anna Mitchell (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) 6-4, 6-0
OOF: 5, 4, 2, 6, 3, 1*

Doubles
1 Nolt/Lynn, WU def. Nitzberg/Oczkowksi 8-2
2 Zhang/Donner, WU def. McGovern/Bybel 8-3
3 Lindner/Danielle Bridges, DC def. Knight/Shanamen 8-6
OOF: 1, 2, 3