DeLand, Fla. ? Sophomore Breanna Atkinson (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch HS) took her singles match into three sets and helped extend her doubles match but the Hatters still fell 7-0 to 29th-ranked USF in Stetson's home opener Thursday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. The Hatters are now 0-2 on the season while USF improves to 4-0.
Atkinson won the first set of her match at #2 singles against Allyn Mueller 6-4 before dropping the next two and with it the match, 1-6, 2-6. At #6 singles, sophomore Katherine Nowicki (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) played a tough match against Jessica Sweeting before falling 6-4, 6-4. Senior Catherine Canady (Jacksonville, Fla./Bolles School) took on a nationally ranked opponent at #5 singles, 73rd-ranked Natalia Guevara, taking a 6-2, 6-2 loss.
“We had a long rain delay before the singles matches could be completed,” Hatters Head Coach Sasha Schmid said. “USF handled the rain delay better than we did and it showed.”
Two of the three doubles matches were very close, although all three eventually went to the Bulls. Sophomore Valentina Galbarini (Montevideo, Uruguay) and freshman Unnati Purushotham (Hyderabad, India) lost 8-6 to Liz Cruz and Iciri Rai, the 40th-ranked duo in the nation by the ITA, at #1 doubles while Atkinson and junior Katherine St. Clair (West Palm Beach, Fla./Cardinal Newman HS) battled Guevara and Lauren Shumate in a long match that the USF duo won 9-7.
“We played well in doubles today,” Schmid noted. “Overall I thought we played very well, we just came up a little short. We've been improving every match since our season began and I hope we can continue to make constant improvement in practice. Eventually we will break through.”
The match was Stetson's second in two days against nationally-ranked opponents from major conferences. The Hatters lost 7-0 on the road to #4 Florida yesterday. Stetson isn't done with its tough opening slate yet, either; the Hatters visit #20 Florida State next Sunday, February 3 at 1 p.m. in Tallahassee.
USF-STETSON RESULTS
#1 singles ? Liz Cruz (USF) def. Valentina Galbarini (STET) 7-5, 6-0
#2 singles ? Allyn Mueller (USF) def. Breanna Atkinson (STET) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
#3 singles ? Jessica Zok (USF) def. Unnati Purushotham (STET) 6-2, 6-0
#4 singles ? Iciri Rai (USF) def. Natalie Gorham (STET) 6-2, 6-1
#5 singles ? Natalia Guevara (USF) def. Catherine Canady (STET) 6-2, 6-2
#6 singles ? Jessica Sweeting (USF) def. Katherine Nowicki (STET) 6-4, 6-4
#1 doubles - Cruz/Rai (USF) def. Galbarini/Purushotham (STET) 8-6
#2 doubles ? Mueller/Zok (USF) def. Gorham/Nowicki (STET) 8-3
#3 doubles ? Guevara/Lauren Shumate (USF) def. Atkinson/Katherine St. Clair 9-7
