ROCK HILL, S.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) - No. 5 Gardner-Webb edged No. 4 Charleston Southern 4-3 in the first round of the Big South Women's Tennis Championship presented by Musco Lighting Thursday afternoon at the Memorial Courts on the campus of Winthrop University.

The Runnin' Bulldogs improve to 12-6 on the year, while Charleston Southern ends its season at 8-11. With the win, Gardner-Webb moves to the semifinals where it will play No. 1 Winthrop on Friday, April 22 at 9 a.m.

Gardner-Webb claimed a tightly-contested doubles point, winning a pair of 9-8 matches to secure a 1-0 lead.

CSU's No. 1 pair of Olga Makhova and Marija Dzakovic defeated Ioana Oprea and Jenny Lunde, 8-5. Erica White and Ronia Hutterli then downed Alia Nour and Brooke Pletcher 9-8 in the second-flight match.

The No. 2 pair og Laura Kriett and Rita Gouveia gave GWU the doubles point with a 9-8 win over Angie Torres and Heather Isbell.

CSU posted straight-set victories at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, and Gardner-Webb won the No. 1 singles match in two sets.

Dzakocvic bested Oprea, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles, giving Dzakovic a 9-7 record on the season. Pletcher earned a 6-3, 6-3 third-flight victory over Kriett, giving CSU its second point of the match.

White defeated Makhova by a 6-2, 6-2 score at the No. 1 position for a 2-2 tie in the match.

CSU's Nour claimed her 10th singles victory of the season, beating Lunde, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4 singles. Gouveia dropped the first set to Torres at No. 6, but won the match with wins in sets two and three.

The match came down to the No. 5 singles contest, which Hutterli claimed over Alexandra Walters. Both players earned a 6-3 set victory, and Hutterli sealed the match for Gardner-Webb with an 8-6 win in set three.

Big South Quarterfinal
Gardner Webb 4, Charleston Southern 3
Rock Hill, S.C. - April 21, 2011
Memorial Courts

Singles competition
1. Erica White (GWU) def. Olga Makhova (CSU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Marija Dzakovic (CSU) def. Ioana Oprea (GWU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Brooke Pletcher (CSU) def. Laura Kriett (GWU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Alia Nour (CSU) def. Jenny Lunde (GWU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Ronia Hutterli (GWU) def. Alexandra Walters (CSU) 6-3, 3-6, 8-6
6. Rita Gouveia (GWU) def. Angelica Torres (CSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Olga Makhova/Marija Dzakovic (CSU) def. Ioana Oprea/Jenny Lunde (GWU) 8-5
2. Erica White/Ronia Hutterli (GWU) def. Alia Nour/Brooke Pletcher (CSU) 9-8
3. Laura Kriett/Rita Gouveia (GWU) def. Angelica Torres/Heather Isbell (CSU) 9-8