Florida Gators
FIU vs. USF - NCAA First Round
South Florida Tops FIU in NCAA W-Tennis First Round, 4-3
Saturday, May 12, 2007 | Women's Tennis
The University of South Florida women's tennis team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year after defeating Florida International, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The Bulls (16-7) will play fourth-seeded Florida (22-2) in the NCAA Second Round on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Gators defeated Jacksonville University, 4-0, in their opening round contest.
USF avenged its regular-season loss to FIU (19-5), which the Panthers claimed, 4-2, back on April 15. The victory extended the Bulls winning streak to four matches, which included a thrilling 4-3 decision over second-ranked Notre Dame in the final of the Big East Tournament. The loss snaps a 16-match win streak for FIU, which was making its third consecutive and seventh overall appearance in the NCAA Championships.
“FIU is a very difficult team, a team that fights every point, and we knew that the match was going to be tough. We've played them a lot, and sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. It's always a tough match between our two teams,” USF head coach Agustin Moreno said. “They got us in the doubles, but it was very close. We were down on many courts at the beginning of singles, but I believe that there was a turning point in the middle of the singles matches where everything was going our way. We started fighting a little harder than they did, and I believe that was the key today. We're a very capable team, and we always play hard.”
“It's disappointing, but USF is a good team. They competed a little harder, and maybe just wanted it a little more at the end. We had a good season, and we lost to a good team at the end,” Florida International head coach Ronni Bernstein said. “It was a totally different match this time around. People who won last time didn't win this time. It was also really windy the last time we met. We played well today, and we had our chances but we just couldn't pull it out.”
NCAA Women's Tennis First Round
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Final Score: South Florida 4, Florida International 3
Doubles
No. 1 Paula Zabala/Nikkita Fountain, FIU def. Gabriela Duch/Jessica Sweeting, USF 8-2
No. 2 Egle Petrauskaite/Priscilla Castillo, FIU def. Shadisha Robinson/Courtney Vernon, USF 9-8 (4)*
No. 3 Liz Cruz/Iciri Rai, USF led Maria Pazo/Shilla D'Armas, FIU 8-7 DNF
Singles
No. 1 Shadisha Robinson (28), USF def. Paula Zabala (78), FIU 7-6 (4), 6-4
No. 2 Egle Petrauskaite, FIU def. Courtney Vernon (61), USF 6-2, 7-5
No. 3 Jessica Sweeting, USF def. Shilla D'Armas, FIU 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 Liz Cruz, USF vs. Marijana Cutuk, FIU 4-6, 6-2, 6-1*
No. 5 Priscilla Castillo, FIU def. Gabriela Duch, USF 6-3, 6-0
No. 6 Iciri Rai, USF def. Nikkita Fountain, FIU 6-2, 6-3
*clinching doubles/dual match point
Order of Finish: Doubles 1, 2; Singles 2, 6, 3, 5, 1, 4
END OF REPORT
