Boxscore CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of North Florida women's tennis' season-opening weekend at the 2015 ITA Kick-Off Weekend ended on Sunday with a 4-1 loss to No. 53 USF in a consolation match at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
"Today was a heartbreaker," said head coach
Audra Cohen. "We fought really hard on every court and came up short in a few key moments that made the difference in the match. Moving forward, we learned a lot from this event as we are ready to take on the rest of our spring season."
Michelle Valdez claimed the Ospreys' lone point with a 6-2, 6-1 No. 5 singles victory over Juliana Cardosa.
In doubles, UNF won the first completed match with
Quetzali Vazquez and
Esther Zuniga powering their way to a 6-1 triumph over Cardosa and Alicia Robinso at the No. 3 spot. However, USF edged out the Ospreys on the other two courts to claim the doubles point. At No. 2 doubles, Vera Bessanova and Olga Martinez took a 6-4 win against
Rebeca Pereira and
Luise Intert. The Bulls sealed the doubles point on the No. 1 court as
Taylor Hollander and
Marina Cunningham dropped a 7-6 tiebreaker to Olaya Garrido-Rivas and Jessica Cortes.
Valdez's quick singles victory evened the match at 1-1. However, USF gained a 3-1 advantage with wins at No. 3 and No. 1 singles. Cunningham fell 6-1, 6-3 to Martinez at No. 3 singles and then Garrido-Rivas edged out Hollander 7-5, 6-4 at the No. 1 spot. USF ultimately got match point at No. 4 singles as Vazquez lost 7-6, 6-2 to Cortes.
When the match ended, both Zuniga and Intert were in the middle of their third set. At No. 2 singles, Zuniga had rallied after falling in the first set and had a 3-6, 7-6, 4-0 advantage over Bessnova. Intert was at 6-2, 4-6, 2-2 with Robinson at No. 6 singles.
UNF is next in action on Friday, Feb. 6 when the Ospreys have their home-opening match with UNC Wilmington. Match time is set for 2 p.m., from the UNF Tennis Complex. Admission is free to all UNF women's tennis home matches.
Match ResultsNo. 53 USF 4, UNF 1Singles Competition:No. 1 – Olaya Garrido-Rivas (USF) def.
Taylor Hollander (UNF) 7-5, 6-4
No. 2 –
Esther Zuniga (UNF) vs. Vera Bessnova (USF) 3-6, 7-6, 4-0, unfinished
No. 3 – Olga Martinez (USF) def.
Marina Cunningham (UNF) 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 – Jessica Cortes (USF) def.
Quetzali Vazquez (UNF) 7-6, 6-2
No. 5 –
Michelle Valdez (UNF) def. Juliana Cardosa (USF) 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 –
Luise Intert (UNF) vs. Alicia Robinson (USF) 2-6, 6-4, 2-2, unfinished
Doubles Competition:No. 1 – Olaya Garrido-Rivas/Jessica Cortes (USF) def.
Taylor Hollander/
Marina Cunningham (UNF) 7-6
No. 2 – Vera Bessanova/Olga Martinez (USF) def.
Rebeca Pereira/
Luise Intert (UNF) 6-4
No. 3 –
Quetzali Vazquez/
Esther Zuniga (UNF) def. Juliana Cardosa/Alicia Robinson (USF) 6-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1); Singles (5, 3, 1, 4)