GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Lee University women's tennis team upset No. 23 Tusculum University 4-3 Wednesday afternoon at the Nichols Tennis Complex.

The Lady Flames (2-0) dropped two of the three doubles matches and trailed 1-0 heading into singles competition. Annie McCullough and Caitlin McCullough doubled-up Lisa Kirr and Matina Ujdur 6-3 at No. 1 doubles. Emilie Hansen and Amber Lackey gave Tusculum (0-1) the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Micaela Belen Maiz and Larissa Wieser. Carley Sickinger and Sierra Donaldson avoided the doubles sweep with a 7-6 (8-6) defeat of Julia Lopez and Paulina Loretz.

The Pioneers used a 6-3, 6-2 win by Lopez over Sickinger at No. 3 singles and a 6-1, 7-5 win by Annie McCullough against Belen Maiz at the No. 1 position to extend their lead to 3-0.

Ujdur kept the Lady Flames alive with matching 6-3 margins in a straight-set win against Hansen. Kirr posted 7-6 wins advantages in the first and third sets of her match with Caitlin McCullough to pull Lee to within one point. Donaldson was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Loretz to set up the No. 6 singles match as winner-take-all for the teams.

Lee freshman Hayden Smith tallied a 7-1 score in the first set tiebreaker and rode the momentum to a 6-1 mark in the second set to claim the individual and team win.

"That's the biggest win this program has had," said Lee head coach Patric Hynes. "To knock off a top 25 program and just keep scrapping, keep fighting and never say die all day is huge for this team. We were never in front all day until the last match. What a win for us. I'm so proud of these ladies for what they accomplished out here today. Massive wins for all four girls in singles. The mindset all day was incredible. Just a super win today."

The Lady Flames are scheduled to enter conference play on February 18 against Shorter University. The GSC battle is set for 2 p.m. at the DeVos Tennis Center.