ADA, Okla. – Tarleton tennis improved to 4-1 this season by taking care of East Central in a road tennis match Friday afternoon.
 
The day started with a pair of wins in doubles action to get the TexAnns up 2-1 early. Luiza Ferraro-Adas and Elena Preadca earned an 8-4 win in the top spot of the lineup while Ashleigh Elward and Erika Richarme battled to a 9-7 win in the No. 2 spot to push their doubles record to a perfect 5-0 this season.
 
After East Central took the final doubles match to send things into singles action with Tarleton on top 2-1, the TexAnns took control of the match with wins in the top five singles positions.
 
In the No. 3-5 spots of the Tarleton lineup, the TexAnns wasted no time in earning three wins by a combined score of 36-12. Ferraro-Adas handled the duties in the No. 3 spot 6-2, 6-2 while Ellie Stevens (6-4, 6-2) and Elena Preadca (6-1, 6-1) took care of the No. 4 and No. 5 matches, respectively.
 
In the No. 2 match, Erika Richarme battled to a 7-5 win in the first set of her match before taking the win with a 6-1 win in the second set. Meanwhile, Elward had to battle back from a 2-6 loss in her first set as the TexAnn No. 1 player. Elward came back from a 2-6 first-set loss to win the next two sets 6-2 and 11-9 for Tarleton's seventh point of the match.
 
Taylor Porter, who made her collegiate debut in the No. 6 position in singles and No. 3 in doubles as Stevens' partner, dropped her first matches as a TexAnn.
 
"Our girls played very hard and very smart today," said graduate assistant coach Suzi Alcaraz. "We showed a lot of resiliency in singles, especially as the top of the lineup. Ashleigh came back to win an 11-9 super tie-breaker and Erika battled back to win straight in straight sets after being down. The middle of the lineup was very solid and played with great focus. As far as Taylor, she may have lost in the sixth but she competed very well."
 
Tarleton will return to action tomorrow against Southern Nazarene for a neutral site match in Ada, Oklahoma at 9 a.m.