CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's tennis team suffered their first Mountain East Conference loss of the season here Tuesday as No. 20 Charleston shut out the Black and Gold, 7-0, in a meeting of MEC unbeatens at the Schoenbaum Courts.

    With the win, the host Golden Eagles (17-1, 5-0) clinched the MEC regular season championship and the top seed in the MEC Tournament, which will be held later this month in Charleston. Coach Heather Gallagher's Hilltoppers (11-5, 5-1) settled for runner-up honors in the final conference standings and will be the No. 2 seed in the MEC Tournament.

    Charleston got off to a fast start on Tuesday, sweeping all three doubles matches to earn the doubles point and take a 1-0 lead into the singles matches.

    The hosts controlled much of the action throughout singles play, winning five of the six matches in straight sets. West Liberty's Jacqueline Pena-Aceves won the first set of her No. 5 singles match with Riva Hondiashvilli by a 6-2 count but the UC freshman squared the match with a 6-0 win in the second set and took the tiebreaker by a 10-5 count.

    One of nine teams listed in the first set of NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings a week ago, the Hilltoppers look to bounce back on Sunday in a road match at perennial Atlantic Region power Indiana (Pa.). Doubles play begins at 1 p.m.