ORLANDO - Sophomore Luise Intert grabbed the match-winning point  in the No. 4 singles match as the North Florida women's tennis team picked up a 4-3 victory at UCF on Wednesday afternoon.

"Our newer players stepped up huge today in doubles and singles," said head coach Audra Cohen. "Rafaela played the best tennis I've seen and her composure as a freshman was impeccable. Noemi competed well and stayed focused to finish her match. Luise was a fighter today. She listened and executed exatly what she needed to. I am so proud of the heart she showed for the program today."

The Ospreys walked away with the doubles points after Intert and Rafaela Gomez clinched the No. 2 doubles spot with a 7-6 (4) victory. UCF won the No. 3 position, but Noemi Hemmerich and Quetzali Vazquez evened it in the No. 1 match. It was left to Intert and Gomez and they stepped up to put UNF out front to start.

In singles play, UCF quickly took the lead with wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 matches. Gomez then came through with her win in the No. 5 spot, 6-4, 6-3, to even the match back up. Another Knights victory, this time in the No. 6 spot allowed the hosts to take the lead again with only two matches left to play.

Hemmerich was able to dig deep and after winning set one, 6-4, continued her strong play with a 7-5 win against Caroline Eberhart in the No. 1 spot. Left to Intert to clinch the match, she did just that. After dropping the second set, Intert rallied back for a 6-3 win and clinch the victory for UNF. 

"Some of the girls showed up to compete today and some didn't," added Cohen. "I'm happy we got the win, but moving forward we need to start competing on every court collectively. This is an opportunity to learn and grow stronger as a team."

The team will have an opportunity to grow stronger as the Ospreys stay on the road for their next four matches. Next up for UNF is a trip to Alabama to face off with Auburn and Troy beginning on Saturday, Feb. 20.

Singles competition
1. Noemi Hemmerich (UNF) def. Caroline Eberhart (UCF) 6-4, 7-5
2. Sofia Baptista (UCF) def. Michelle Valdez (UNF) 6-2, 6-0
3. Emilia Granstrom (UCF) def. Quetzali Vazquez (UNF) 6-2, 6-1
4. Luise Intert (UNF) def. Cortney Cesarini (UCF) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
5. Rafaela Gomez (UNF) def. Natalia Serrano (UCF) 6-4, 6-3
6. Monica Matias (UCF) def. Hannah Fluhrer (UNF) 6-1, 7-5
 
Doubles competition
1. Noemi Hemmerich/Quetzali Vazquez (UNF) def. Sofia Baptista/Emilia Granstrom (UCF) 6-2
2. Luise Intert/Rafaela Gomez (UNF) def. Cortney Cesarini/Natalia Serrano (UCF) 7-6 (4)
3. Caroline Eberhart/Monica Matias (UCF) def. Michelle Valdez/Hannah Fluhrer (UNF) 6-3
 
Match Notes:
UNF 3-1
UCF 3-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,2,5,6,1,4)