GENEVA, N.Y. – The Union College women's tennis team captured four of the six singles matches to come back from an early deficit and defeat William Smith College by a 5-4 score in a Liberty League match on Sunday afternoon at Bristol Field House.
 
The win moves Union to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in conference play, while William Smith falls to 3-9 overall and 0-3 in conference. The victory is Union's first over William Smith since a UCAA Tournament quarterfinal victory on October 11, 2003 - a string of 11 consecutive matches.
 
First-year Gabby Gatto and junior Lichuan Xiong combined for three of Union's six victories on the day, beginning with a doubles win and then nabbing the team's final two singles points. The tandem started the day with a convincing 8-0 win over Charlotte Sanford and Crystal Morgans at third doubles, the visitors' lone doubles point of the day.
 
Down 2-1 headed into singles play, the sister tandem of juniors Hallie Katzman and Rayna Katzman quickly pulled the momentum back to the visitors. Rayna evened the match with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over Morgans at fifth singles, followed soon after by Hallie's 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Julia Pida at the fourth flight.
 
After a William Smith win at first singles, Xiong put Union one point from a victory with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Sanford at sixth singles. Sophomore Kate Hirnak came close to clinching the win in a 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 loss at the third-singles flight, which brought the match down to Gatto's second-singles matchup with Audreyanna Camacho. Gatto took the first set 6-4 and, after suffering a 7-5 loss in the second set, earned the decisive break up 6-5 to pull out a 7-5 third-set victory.
 
Union will return to the home courts for the first time since October next Wednesday, April 20 with a conference matchup against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute beginning at 4 p.m.