SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Senior
Mariella Calderon clinched her court to help top-seeded North Florida women's tennis advance to its sixth Atlantic Sun Championship match with a 4-0 victory against No. 4 Lipscomb on Saturday afternoon at the Upstate Tennis Complex.
"We played our kind of tennis in doubles play today and were able to grab the point with some momentum," said head coach
Audra Cohen. "In singles, Noemi, Michell and Mariella jumped out to quick leads in the first set and this really helped silence Lipscomb a little."
UNF got things started off on the right foot with the doubles point thanks to wins from No. 1 and No. 2.
Noemi Hemmerich and
Quetzali Vazquez shut down the Bisons, 6-2 in the top position before
Luise Intert and
Rafaela Gomez grabbed a 6-4 win at No. 2. Intert and Gomez avenged their loss to Lipscomb in doubles during the regular season.
Hemmerich quickly won her match as Hannah Gamage was forced to retire due to injury to make it 2-0 in UNF's favor. Junior
Michelle Valdez then dropped just one set in her win at the No. 2 position.
Calderon sealed the victory with a 6-0, 6-2 win in the No. 6 spot to move UNF to the championship match. The lone senior on the squad hit an ace to win her game and secure the shut out.
"I am happy with the way the girls competed, even when not playing their best tennis," added Cohen. "Energy is a big factor in these matches and we are bringing it on every courut. We need to do the same tomorrow."
The Ospreys will take on the winner of Stetson and FGCU at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Singles
1.
Noemi Hemmerich (UNFW) def. Hannah Gamage (LIPW) 3-0, retired
2.
Michelle Valdez (UNFW) def. Katerina Kandyba (LIPW) 6-0, 6-1
3.
Rafaela Gomez (UNFW) vs. Laura Kent (LIPW) 2-6, 5-2, unfinished
4.
Luise Intert (UNFW) vs. Hanna Victorsson (LIPW) 2-6, 3-2, unfinished
5.
Quetzali Vazquez (UNFW) vs. Danielle Kinnen (LIPW) 6-3, 2-1, unfinished
6.
Mariella Calderon (UNFW) def. Lorena Djuknic (LIPW) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
1.
Noemi Hemmerich/
Quetzali Vazquez (UNFW) def. Hannah Gamage/Danielle Kinnen (LIPW) 6-2
2.
Luise Intert/
Rafaela Gomez (UNFW) def. Thabile Tshatedi/Laura Kent (LIPW) 6-4
3.
Mariella Calderon/
Michelle Valdez (UNFW) vs. Hanna Victorsson/Katerina Kandyba (LIPW) 6-5, unfinished