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University of North Florida Athletics

Michelle Valdez
Todd Drexler

Women's Tennis North Florida Athletics

@OspreyWTEN Battles Hard in 4-1 Loss to No. 53 USF at ITA Kick-Off Weekend

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 Results
No. 53 USF 4, UNF 1
Singles 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)
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Players Mentioned

Marina Cunningham

Marina Cunningham

5' 6"
Senior
Accounting and Finance
Taylor Hollander

Taylor Hollander

6' 1"
Senior
Psychology
Rebeca Pereira

Rebeca Pereira

5' 6"
Senior
Business Management
Michelle Valdez

Michelle Valdez

5' 10"
Sophomore
Elementary Education
Quetzali Vazquez

Quetzali Vazquez

5' 3"
Sophomore
Health Science
Esther Zuniga

Esther Zuniga

5' 5"
Senior
Business Management
Luise Intert

Luise Intert

5' 6"
Freshman
Psychology

Players Mentioned

Marina Cunningham

Marina Cunningham

5' 6"
Senior
Accounting and Finance
Taylor Hollander

Taylor Hollander

6' 1"
Senior
Psychology
Rebeca Pereira

Rebeca Pereira

5' 6"
Senior
Business Management
Michelle Valdez

Michelle Valdez

5' 10"
Sophomore
Elementary Education
Quetzali Vazquez

Quetzali Vazquez

5' 3"
Sophomore
Health Science
Esther Zuniga

Esther Zuniga

5' 5"
Senior
Business Management
Luise Intert

Luise Intert

5' 6"
Freshman
Psychology