JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The University of North Florida women's tennis team grabbed its seventh win in eight matches on Saturday afternoon, as it rolled to a 6-1 home win over Stetson.
"Today was a great match for us," Head Coach Audra Cohen said. "We showed heart and determination on every court and got the job done against a feisty Stetson team."
The Ospreys opened the day in perfect fashion, sweeping all three doubles matches to take the doubles point. Sophomores
Marina Cunningham and
Taylor Hollander rolled to an 8-1 victory at No. 3 in the only lopsided match of the day. After falling behind 4-2, seniors
Lorena Aviles and
Melanie Aguirre charged back to take an 8-6 victory at No. 1 that clinched the point.
Junior
Simona Weymar and sophomore
Rebeca Pereira completed the sweep with a 9-7 win at No. 2. The victory raised the duo's record to 7-0 this year.
Aguirre doubled the Ospreys' lead in short order, earning a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5 singles, just before Cunningham put UNF up 3-0 with a 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 4. Aviles then clinched the match with a come-from-behind victory at No. 1 with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win. The victory made the senior UNF's first 12-match winner this season, as her record now stands at 12-3, playing solely at the No. 1 position.
Stetson pulled a point back with a win at No. 2 singles, but freshman
Mariella Calderon got a hard-fought win at No. 6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-7, (4-7), 6-4, and Hollander triumphed 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 to give the Ospreys the final 6-1 margin.
"We've worked very hard recently to improve our fitness and mental toughness and it showed today," Cohen said. "We won three of the four matches that went to three sets because we had great composure and fresh legs. The girls are finding confidence in their fitness and starting understand that hard work pays off in big moments."
With the win, the Ospreys move to 11-4 on the season, with a 4-1 mark in Atlantic Sun play. The Hatters are now 9-8, 4-3 in conference play.
UNF will be back in action on Sunday, when it wraps up its home season with a 10 a.m. match against Florida Gulf Coast. The Ospreys will recognize their seniors in a brief ceremony prior to the match. All UNF home tennis matches are free to the public, or follow along on Twitter at @OspreyWTEN.
Complete Results
North Florida 6, Stetson 1
Singles competition
6.
Mariella Calderon (UNF) def. MB StaufferMacDowell (STET) 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4
Doubles competition
Stetson 9-8, 4-3 A-Sun
North Florida 11-4, 4-1 A-Sun
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,4,1,2,6,3)
T-4:09