Box Score
 
ABILENE, Texas — NCCAA No. 8 Southern Nazarene proved its new ranking and even more Friday after noon as SNU knocked off No. 5 Dallas Baptist, 7-2, in its first match at the NCCAA Central Region Tournament.
 
The Crimson Storm (8-7) have now extended their winning streak to six straight and are just one win away from an NCCAA National Tournament berth. The round robin format with DBU and McMurry leaves SNU with just one match to be played Saturday at 9 p.m.
 
SNU jumped out to a 2-0 lead quickly as it won at No. 2 and 3 doubles with both tandems winning 8-5. Deisi Bolivar and Natalia Moreno stayed unbeaten at 7-0 at No. 2 while Karina Kotova and Payton Bergmann won their second straight to improve to 5-2 on the year at No. 3.
 
The Lady Patriots (15-9) though answered at No. 1 doubles as Masha Andrianova and Marina Shipilova fell 8-7 (7-5) to the central region's No. 7-ranked doubles team.
 
Bolivar gave SNU a 3-1 lead with a quick 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles. It was the senior's 12^th straight win as she improved to 13-1 on the year and 4-0 at No. 2. Kotova made it 4-2 with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5 to win her sixth straight before Moreno clinched it at No. 3 with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
 
Dallas Baptist picked up a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win over Bergmann at No. 6 before Shipilova won 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at No. 4. The match of the day though was the final one at No. 1 singles. Masha Andrianova and No. 46 Natalie Gennissen went the distance and more and Andrianova rallied to come back from being down a set after losing 7-5 in the opener. The sophomore answered with a 6-2 win in the second set and outlasted Gennissen in the final set to win 10-8 and secure her seventh straight match.
 
If SNU can win tomorrow it will play in the NCCAA National Tournament, May 6-11, in Mobile, Ala.