JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gusting winds at the UNF Tennis Complex made for a tough match Sunday, but the University of North Florida women's tennis team stayed on track and soared to a 7-0 win against Davidson.
"The wind certainly played a factor in the match today, but the girls raised their level of play and picked up a big win for us," UNF head coach Rodrigo Puebla said. "Everyone was important in our win today against a Davidson team that is always very strong."
Sophomore Victoria Krook clinched the match with a straight-set singles win at the No. 6 position. Junior Raquel Castro turned in the first individual result, rolling past Virginia Berry 6-1, 6-0 at the second slot and sophomore Lauren Holton pushed UNF's lead to 3-0 when she notches a 6-0, 6-3 win at the No. 5 position. The Lady Ospreys (5-2) opened match by taking the doubles point from the Wildcats (3-4), sweeping all three matches. Senior Ina Durcakova and freshman Nikita van Lierop were 8-2 winners at the second position while Holton and Krook paired for an 8-5 win at the third position. In No. 1 doubles action, freshman Aline Berkenbrock and Castro made a furious comeback against Berry and Alison Rauh to complete the sweep. The duo fell behind 5-2 before rattling off six straight game wins to take the match 8-5. With the match decided, Berkenbrock closed a competitive match at the top position, finishing with a score of 6-2, 6-4. Durcakova, playing in the fourth slot, rebounded from a 6-4 opening set loss with a 6-4 second set win. She completed the win against Ali Gores with a 10-5 win in the super-tiebreaker.
"I feel like today gives us a huge push heading into conference play," Rodrigo said. "Wednesday's match will be a big match not only because it's at home and the conference opener, but also because Stetson is a very solid team."
UNF returns to the UNF Tennis Complex Wednesday at 1 p.m. when it plays its Atlantic Sun Conference opener against in-state rival Stetson.
