DeLand, Fla. ? The Stetson women's tennis team (1-3, 1-0 Atlantic Sun) picked up its first win of the spring season in emphatic fashion Saturday afternoon, sweeping A-Sun rival Florida Gulf Coast (0-3, 0-1 A-Sun) 7-0 in the league opener for both teams.  Senior Samantha Lange (Middle Island, N.Y.), junior Valentina Galbarini (Montevideo, Uruguay) and sophomore Unnati Purushotham (Hyderabad, India) were all double winners for the Hatters.

Galbarini and Purushotham teamed up to beat Priscilla Villemond and Joanne Power 8-5 at #1 doubles while Lange combined with junior Natalie Gorham (Miami, Fla.) to beat Leah Johnson and Marissa Grammar 8-3 at the #3 slot and clinch the doubles point for Stetson.  In singles play, Lange blew away Maggie Caulk 6-2, 6-2 at #5 singles and Galbarini took down Villemond 6-4, 7-5 at the top of the lineup.  Purushotham had to work harder for her singles victory, outlasting Power 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-1 at #3 singles.

Juniors Breanna Atkinson (Bradenton, Fla.) and Katherine Nowicki (Jacksonville, Fla.), along with sophomore Jacqueline Faulk (Port Charlotte, Fla.) also earned singles victories for the Hatters.  It was the first win of the year in singles for both Atkinson and Nowicki.  Today's doubles victories were the first of the year for Stetson pairs.

The Hatters return to the court Thursday at 4 p.m. when they host Volusia County rival Bethune-Cookman in non-conference action at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.