DeLAND, Fla. - The ASUN Championship had everything in the title game - a schedule change, a commanding lead, then a comeback before an exciting finish on one court to give North Florida its fifth-straight ASUN Conference Women's Tennis Championship crown and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament in May. The Ospreys become the first ASUN team to win five straight titles in the conference's history.

Originally planned for 10 a.m., the match was moved back to accommodate men's semifinals that had to finish from the previous day. With a new time set, UNF and FGCU were set to battle for the championship for the fourth time in ASUN history.

Taking the doubles point to start off the match, the Ospreys cruised to a 3-0 lead with wins on courts two and four from Lucia Montano and Valentina Marriotto. FGCU quickly responded with a pair of wins from on three and six.

The match looked to be coming to a close with Constanza Gorches holding a set-up 5-1 second-set lead on court five before Patricia Villar stormed back to win 12 of the final 15 points in the match, closing with a 6-2 victory in the third set to bring the Eagles into a 3-3 tie with the Ospreys. 

Everything was then in the hands of veteran and senior leader Rafaela Gomez on court one. The three-time ASUN first team selection split the first two sets with Maja Ornberg with each player needing seven points to win tiebreaker before heading into the third. With the title on the line, Gomez did not want her senior season to come to a close and the Tournament MVP, closed out her match, 6-3 to give the Ospreys the championship.

With the win, North Florida moves to 17-7. FGCU finishes the year 11-10. North Florida head coach Mariana Cobra has now won three ASUN Championships with the Ospreys, doing so in each year she has been with the program.

UNF clinches an automatic spot in the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship, set to begin on May 16. All-time, the Ospreys have now made eight trips into the NCAA Championships, looking for their first victory.
 

FULL RESULTS
UNF 4, FGCU 3
Singles competition
1. Rafaela Gomez (UNF) def. ORNBERG, Maja (FGCU) 7-5, 6-7, 6-3
2. Lucia Montano (UNF) def. KELLY, Sara (FGCU) 6-2, 6-1
3. ASCUA, Julia (FGCU) def. Ana Paula Melilo (UNF) 6-3, 6-0
4. Valentina Mariotto (UNF) def. PEREZ, Sofia (FGCU) 6-1, 6-2
5. VILLAR, Patricia (FGCU) def. Constanza Gorches (UNF) 4-6, 7-6, 6-2
6. FORSTER, Bridget (FGCU) def. Florencia Rossi (UNF) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Constanza Gorches/Rafaela Gomez (UNF) def. ORNBERG, Maja/ASCUA, Julia (FGCU) 6-3
2. Lucia Montano/Florencia Rossi (UNF) def. VILLAR, Patricia/KELLY, Sara (FGCU) 6-2
3. Ana Paula Melilo/Valentina Mariotto (UNF) vs. PEREZ, Sofia/FORSTER, Bridget (FGCU) 4-3, unfinished