DeLAND, Fla.— The University of North Florida women's tennis team defeated Stetson 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.

"Today was a well-fought battle by our girls," said head coach Audra Cohen. "We stepped up and were the more offensive team in the big moments, and that was good to see. Stetson has been a classic rival for us over the years and before the match we spoke about how to handle rivalries the healthy way. The girls did a great job of executing all the things we spoke about; they kept the match about tennis, not drama."

The Ospreys clinched the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Simona Weymar and Rebeca Pereira teamed up to defeat Diana Bukajeva and Isabella Fernandez 8-2 at No. 1 doubles. At the No. 2 spot, Marina Cunningham and Taylor Hollander downed Andrea Crespo and Cari Berry 8-6 to clinch the doubles point.

In singles, North Florida grabbed wins at the top four spots en route to winning the match. Esther Zuniga grabbed the first singles point with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Crespo at the No. 2 spot. At No. 1, Weymar followed up with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bukajeva to put the Ospreys up 3-0. Stetson countered with a win at No. 5 singles to put the score at 3-1.

Michelle Valdez clinched the match for the Ospreys as she defeated Berry in a three-set showdown. Valdez took the first set 6-3, but Berry countered winning the second 6-3. Valdez claimed the win with a 6-4 victory in the decisive set. Cunningham grabbed the final singles point for the Ospreys as she downed Mayablue Stauffer-MacDowell 6-7 (7-5), 6-0, 7-5.

The Ospreys return home for a three-match home streak, they face Arkansas on Tuesday, March 25 at 10 a.m., at the UNF Tennis Complex.

University of North Florida 5, Stetson 2

Singles competition
1. Simona Weymar (UNF-W) def. Diana Bukajeva (STET) 6-3, 6-1
2. Esther Zuniga (UNF-W) def. Andrea Crespo (STET) 6-1, 6-2
3. Marina Cunningham (UNF-W) def. MB StaufferMacDowell (STET) 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 7-5
4. Michelle Valdez (UNF-W) def. Cari Berry (STET) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
5. Eveline Lepinay (STET) def. Taylor Hollander (UNF-W) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
6. Carolina Meregalli (STET) def. Rebeca Pereira (UNF-W) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Simona Weymar/Rebeca Pereira (UNF-W) def. Diana Bukajeva/Isabella Fernandez (STET) 8-2
2. Marina Cunningham/Taylor Hollander (UNF-W) def. Andrea Crespo/Cari Berry (STET) 8-6
3. Eveline Lepinay/Lindsey Cable (STET) def. Michelle Valdez/Quetzali Vazquez (UNF-W) 8-3

Match Notes:
University of North Florida 9-3
Stetson 10-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,1,5,4,3,6)