JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Chilling winds at the UNF Tennis Complex on Thursday did little to alter the flight of the University of North Florida women's tennis team in its home opener against Missouri-Kansas City as the Lady Ospreys glided past the Kangaroos 7-0 without dropping a single game.
"We played extremely well today," UNF head coach Rodrigo Puebla said. "The girls began the match with great intensity and played with a lot of confidence."
After freshman Aline Berkenbrock and junior Raquel Castro posted an 8-1 win, and a pair of 8-2 wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 doubles slots secured the doubles point, the Lady Ospreys kept rolling in singles action. Castro turned in the first individual result of the match, easing past Emily Lindsay 6-0, 6-0 to become the winner in the No. 2 position. Sophomore Victoria Krook knocked off her opponent by the same score, playing at the sixth position. "Raquel is a good competitor and a great addition to our team while Vicky (Krook) is continuing to develop and shows improvement every day," Puebla said. "Vicky's confidence level is on the rise and I look for her to become a leader on the court."
At the top singles spot, Berkenbrock found her stride early and notched a 6-0 opening set victory before finishing the match with a 6-2 win in the second set. Freshman Nikita van Lierop used only one more total game than Berkenbrock to gain another UNF win, moving past Chelsea Horner by a score of 6-1, 6-2.
"There is still some work to be done in our doubles play but the improvement from our first match was apparent," Puebla said. "Hopefully we will show even more progress on Saturday and have some nicer weather for our fans to come out and enjoy."
The Lady Ospreys resume their homestand with an 11 a.m. match against Florida A&M at the UNF Tennis Complex on Saturday.
