BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Mayumi Saguchi battled back from a deficit at No. 4 singles to force a third set and won when her opponent retired, giving the Runnin' Bulldogs a narrow 4-3 win over Big South foe Presbyterian.

Gardner-Webb (9-8, 5-3 Big South) lost the doubles point but turned the momentum in its favor when singles play began.

With the 'Dogs behind early, Miljana Ristic made quick work of her opponent, Sydney Patton, in the top flight. Ristic lost just two games to Patton in the first set en route to the 6-2 win and won the match with a 6-4 victory in set two.

Presbyterian (15-6, 7-2 Big South) reclaimed the lead when Jessica Leeman snapped Adrienne Vesely's nine-match win streak.  Vesely was defeated in the No. 5 position, 6-3, 7-5, and fell to 12-3 on the season, but still holds an .800 winning percentage, the highest of any Runnin' Bulldog. The Plano, Texas native's 12 victories are also a team-high.

The Blue Hose's lead did not last long due to Gardner-Webb winning two consecutive singles matches, which allowed the home team to take a 3-2 advantage. Valentine Limauge tied the match at two-all with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Samantha Calais in the No. 3 position, and Manon Delsol gave the 'Dogs the lead.

Delsol limited Presbyterian's Katie Thompson to just two wins in each set (6-2, 6-2) in the No. 6 flight. The win over Thompson was her sixth of the season. Delsol and Vesley, both freshmen, have combined for 18 of the team's 53 singles victories and are a combined 18-11 overall and 9-5 in Big South play.

Presbyterian evened things up with a win at No. 2, and the match came down to the result on court four.

At No. 4, Saguchi faced off against Beth Taylor and dropped the first set, but battled back for a win in set two despite trailing early. Saguchi defeated Taylor in the second set, 7-5, and forced a third set, where she quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

Saguchi took her time in the final set and made Taylor constantly run the length of the baseline.  Saguchi won the first three games of the set, and Taylor retired, giving Gardner-Webb the 4-3 win.

The Runnin' Bulldogs are now 9-8 overall and 5-3 in Big South. The 'Dogs will close out the regular season on Saturday, April 13 with an 11 a.m. contest against the Longwood Lancers.

Winthrop (9-0) and Presbyterian (7-2) have clinched the top two seeds for the upcoming Big South Conference tournament. With a win against Longwood, the 'Dogs will tie Campbell with a 6-3 conference record and be the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament. A loss would place GWU in a three-way tie for fourth with Radford and Charleston Southern.