Hatters Win Twice to Open Stetson Spring Fling

DeLand, Fla. -- No. 7 Stetson earned victories at Pairs 1, 2 and 5 to defeat No. 16 Georgia State 3-2 Friday morning at the Cooper Beach Courts.

The Hatters (5-2) went on to defeat St. Petersburg College 4-1 to go 2-0 on the first day of the Stetson Spring Fling.

The victory over Georgia State was the Hatters' third Top 20 victory of the season.

"I still want us to be better at some points, but I am glad we pulled it out," Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said. "Georgia State is a real scrappy team. They play with a lot of energy, so I knew it was going to be a battle."

Stetson's first point came at Pair 5 where Kamryn Johnson and Madison Bobes defeated Cara Guthrie and Mattie Johnson 21-13, 21-18.

"Obviously, Kam and Maddie have been playing really well, so I am real happy to see our freshmen step up," Hernandez said.

Georgia State (3-2) won 2-1 at Pair 4 to tie the dual 1-1.

At Pair 2, Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales defeated Maddy Delmonte and Eden Hawes, 21-15, 21-13 to give Stetson a 2-1 lead. At Pair 1, Ana Costa and Kyce Martins survived a close first set to post a 21-19, 21-15 victory over Olivia Stasevich and Georgia Johnson.

Against St. Petersburg (0-1), Stetson cruised to 2-0 victories at the 2, 4, and 5 seeds.

At Pair 1, Costa and Martins split their first two sets but trailed 14-11 late in the third set. With their undefeated record on the line, Costa and Martins scored five straight points to capture a 16-14 win. They are now 7-0 on the season.

"I think the great thing about Kyce and Ana is that they are both fighters. They like to win," Hernandez said. "That was huge for them to be able to come back like that. It was a credit to their defense and making big plays off of that."

The Hatters have now won 11 straight duals at home, dating back to last season.

The Stetson Spring Fling continues on Saturday. The Hatters will host No. 18 Florida Atlantic at 10 a.m. and Saint Leo at 4 p.m.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.

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