WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—The firsts continued for the Idaho women's tennis program on Wednesday. Junior Marianna Petrei, the first Vandal to play in the NCAA Women's Singles Championship, recorded Idaho's first-ever NCAA victory. She needed all three sets, advancing with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 win over Winthrop's Laura Proctor.

The Udine, Italy, native, moves on to the round of 32 on Thursday. She will take on UCLA's Ena Shibahara, the tournament's No. 7 seed. Shibahara advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Vanderbilt's Christina Rocca. 

"Today was a good win for Marianna," head coach Babar Akbar said after the match. "She played a talented player in Proctor who has had a fantastic year herself. We knew it was going to be a tough match."

Petrei and Proctor both entered the match ranked in the Intercollege Tennis Association's top-40. Petrei held the slight edge in the rankings at No. 31, six slots better than Proctor at No. 37. 

The first set was tightly contested. Neither side budged when on serve, leading to a 4-4 tie. Petrei was the first to break, winning taking a 5-4 lead. She closed out the set back on serve, closing with a 6-4 win. 

Proctor bounced back to even the match in the second set. She won the first game and then broke Petrei in the second to take a 2-0 lead. Proctor controlled the final four games to sweep the set, 6-0. 

Each side broke serve to start the final set. Petrei took the first game from Proctor and the opposition countered in the second. Proctor, back on serve, gained a 2-1 advantage after the third game. Petrei turned up the pressure for the remainder of the match. She went on to win the final five games, resulting in a 6-2 verdict. 

"Our goal was to stay with her in the third set," Akbar explained. "Marianna did a fantastic job of staying with her. She just kept fighting and did not let that second set get to her. She played really well and got more aggressive. It says a lot about her ability to compete."

Thursday's match is tentatively set for 7 a.m. PT.