Senior Welma Luus returns a serve during the Teps 4-3 victory over Syracuse on April 6, 2014

Entering Saturday’s match at No. 66 Wake Forest, Terrapins tennis senior Welma Luus had played in eight straight contests without a singles victory.

And after the Terps fell behind the Demon Deacons, 3-2, the team’s fate rested on Luus, who took her match with Samantha Asch into the third set.

And in one of the most critical moments of her season, Luus won the final set, 6-3, to earn a singles victory and tie the match at three. Minutes later, sophomore Nataliya Bredikhina won to clinch the Terps’ 4-3 triumph over Wake Forest.

“It was awesome,” freshman Kristina Hovsepyan said. “I got to watch the end of the second [set] and all of the third. It was awesome. She had such a good attitude, and it was really fun to see.”

Luus, the No. 4 singles player, said she lacked confidence during her winless five-week stretch leading up to Saturday. She thought her biggest problem was not attacking balls like she used to.

A strong week of practice before the match against the Demon Deacons, however, prompted the senior to play more aggressively.

“She really came to win that match,” coach Daria Panova said. “I was very proud, and right from the start I had no doubt in my mind that she was going to win because of how she started to play the match.”

Luus — who tore her labrum last season — did not blame her shoulder for her poor performances this season, though the injury has played a part in a significant regression from the form she displayed earlier in her career.

Luus won 46 percent of her singles contests and 60 percent of her doubles matches in her first two years. In her sophomore season, Luus and doubles partner Ana Belzunce were ranked as high as No. 15 in the country.

This season, Luus sports a 4-14 individual record and a 7-9 record in doubles with two matches remaining.

“I definitely would like to think I would have done better this semester so far,” Luus said. “But you can’t go back and change things. And I’m not thinking, ‘Oh, this is bad. I wish things were different.’ You can’t do that. You just got to look forward and keeping working hard.”

While things might not have gone the way Luus hoped earlier in her career, she still enjoys the success that does come her way, including her pivotal win in Saturday’s match.

“I’ve been having a tough time for a while,” Luus said. “It just felt good to get out there and get the job done.”