DeLAND, Fla. - North Florida women's tennis team blanked Lipscomb, 4-0, in the ASUN semifinals to advance to its fifth straight ASUN Championship match. Sophomore Valentina Mariotto clinched the match for the Ospreys.

No. 2 North Florida advances to the championship where it faces off with No. 4 FGCU who upset top-seeded Liberty, 4-3. The Eagles battled back from 3-0 to win. The match up between UNF and FGCU will be a rematch of the 2017, 2016 and 2015 ASUN Championship matches where the Ospreys came home victorious each time.

UNF made quick work of Lipscomb at the No. 3 doubles spot with Mariotto and Ana Paula Melilo grabbing a 6-1 win. In two competitive matches at the No. 1 and No. 2 spot, it came down to a 7-5 win from Rafaela Gomez and Constanza Gorches. 

Moving to singles, Florencia Rossi won 6-2, 6-2 to give UNF a 2-0 advantage. Shortly after, Lucia Montano got her revenge from the regular season as she beat Kate Popova, 6-2, 6-4. With the win in sight, Mariotto buckled down in the second set, leading 5-3. However, Lisa Diachenko of Lipscomb had a different idea and won her serve to move to 5-4. With serve now in Mariotto's favor, she ran through the final game and clinched the match with her 6-3, 6-4 victory.

COBRA'S COMMENTS
"We knew Lipscomb was going to come to play and they did, but our girls did a good job of responding and making adjustments. I am proud of how we battled and worked with the tough conditions to get the win. We are excited about playing in the championship again, but we won't be satisfied until the trophy is in our hands." -- Head coach Mariana Cobra

NOTES:
- UNF and FGCU have faced off in four of the last five ASUN title matches.
- North Florida is playing in the title game as the No. 2 seed for the third straight season. 
- The Ospreys upset FGCU, 4-3, in 2017 to take home the ASUN title. 
- UNF improves to 16-7 on the season. 
- Mariotto has now won four straight matches heading into the championship.

LOOKING AHEAD
North Florida takes on the Eagles at 10 a.m. in the championship match. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and via live stats.