Despite playing with heavy hearts and without their head coach, the Stetson women's tennis team opened the 2015 spring season with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over visiting Troy at a breezy Mandy Stoll Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Hatters opened the season without their coach, Pierre Pilote, who was away all week following the death of his mother last weekend. He made it out to the courts late in the match, just in time to see his team clinch the win.

“Any match that you win is a good win,” Associate Head Coach Christophe Noblet said. “I thought Troy came back very strong in the singles. They are a good team and we are very glad to come out on top and start with a 1-0 record.”

On the court, the Hatters withstood a furious battle with the Trojans, splitting the six singles matches 3-3. As it turned out, the victory was made possible early on, thanks to an amazing comeback at No. 3 doubles by Carolina Meregalli and Arijana Korac. That duo, a sophomore and a freshman, was down 5-2 to Troy's Sanae Ohta and Brooke Durden, but won five straight games to take a 7-5 victory, clinching the doubles point.

“You can never let it go because you never know the importance of each game,” Noblet said. “That was the difference between winning and losing. With the new format, where it is game-point at 40-all, even if you are down 2-5, it is really not that much. You can come back very quickly, but you can't let any point go because things can change much easier. I thought the ladies did a good job there and waited for an opportunity for things to switch around.”

The Hatters got off to a good start in singles play when junior Eveline Lepinay coasted to a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Durden at No. 5.

“It is hard to single anyone out, especially in the first game,” Christophe said. “I was looking for good team intensity to see what kind of standard we are going to set for the rest of the year. Eveline did a great job, not just for herself, but as a captain, leading with her intensity.”

After Troy's Ohta defeated Stetson's Isabella Fernandez 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2, and Margot DeHaan defeated Brittany Hill 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 to tie the match at 2-2, Stetson's Alizee Michaud topped Trang Huynh at No.1 6-3, 6-3 to push the Hatters to within one game of the match.

For Michaud, a freshman, the win was her first since an outstanding start to her collegiate career in the fall. She finished the early season ranked No. 54 in the nation.

“I thought Alizee handled herself pretty well at No. 1,” Christophe said. “I saw her going for her shots and having fun out there. I didn't see her as feeling pressure with playing at No. 1 and having that responsibility. She played up to her normal level and is looking forward to the next challenge. That is exciting.”

The Hatters clinched the match when sophomore Carolina Meregalli defeated Linnea Skymberg 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.

“With Carolina, it does not matter if it is pretty, it is all about winning and she did that again today,” Noblet said. “She didn't feel great, but she pulled it out and clinched the match.”

Troy took the final singles match at No. 3 when the Trojans' Anja Cosovic came back from 3-0 in the third set to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.