SPARTANBURG, S.C. - On Friday, it was freshman Francisca Valderrama that clinched the win for the USC Upstate women's tennis team over Kennesaw State. On Saturday, it was freshman Monica Pezzotti that a dramatic three-set win at No. 2 singles to lift Upstate to its third-straight 4-3 win, this time over Troy at the USC Upstate Tennis Complex.

Pezzotti posted a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Lauren Simpson at No. 2 for her first collegiate singles win, as the freshman came back after a second set loss to win one of two three-set matches in the meet, giving Upstate a 4-0 record, the team's best start since the 1992 team went 12-0.

The Spartans fell in the doubles point, with the Trojans (1-4 overall) winning at No. 2 before junior Emilia Milovanovic and freshman Simona Cacciuttolo posted a 9-7 win over Gabriella Veiga and Vega at No. 3. However, the Trojans took the point with a 9-8 (5) win from Leonie Guijt and Karoline Grymel over Valderrama and Pezzotti.

However, Upstate's freshman did not yield to the Trojans in singles play, even after a loss at No. 3 gave Troy a 2-0 lead. Valderrama posted a 6-3, 7-5 win over Grymol at No. 1 singles and then fellow classmate Cacciuttolo added a 6-2, 7-6 (4) win at No. 4 over Veira to tie the match at 2. A three-set win for the Trojans at No. 6 gave Troy a 3-2 lead, setting up Pezzotti's win that tied the match at 3. Cinthya Lazaro added a 6-2, 7-6 (9) win at No. 5 over Veiga to clinch the match with a dramatic win in the second-set tiebreaker.

The Spartans wrap up their busy weekend on Sunday when Upstate hits the road for Elon. Match time is set for 1 p.m.