Kennesaw, Ga. – A pair of three-set singles match wins, both with a tie-breaker mixed in, helped Kennesaw State's women's tennis team to a 4-3 victory over Stetson on Sunday afternoon in the Hatters' regular season finale.
 
"It was another close loss against Kennesaw State today," Hatters coach Travis Sandlant said. "Hopefully we can turn the corner and trust in our abilities. We are looking forward to taking on FGCU next weekend in the ASUN Tournament. It is always a battle against them."
 
The Hatters continued to struggle in doubles play, dropping the point 2-0. The third match, on the second court, was tied 6-6 when KSU clinched the point.
 
Singles play saw Stetson fall even further behind as Laia Pasini fell in straight sets on the No. 6 court and senior Danel Ashirova doing the same on court No. 2.
 
The Hatters came out strong in singles play, with Noa Cohen and Brooke Milner both taking straight-set wins on courts four and five to put the Hatters in front 2-1. KSU evened the match with a straight set win on court six but Katie Kubicz put Stetson within one point of the win, bouncing back from a slow start against Ji Youn Lee to take a 4-6, 6-1., 6-2 win on court two.
 
The match came down to play on courts three and one. On court three, Danel Ashirova took the first set 7-6 with an 8-6 tie-break win, but Paola Cortez bounced back, winning 6-3, 6-2 to tie the match.
 
Anais Gabriel was within a tie-break of clinching the match for Stetson on court one, dropping the second set to Taylor dean 7-6 on a 7-1 tie-breaker after winning the opening set 6-4. The final set wend down to the wire as well, with Dean winning 7-5 to clinch the match for the Owls.
 
The Hatters fell to 6-9 overall on the year and 1-5 in ASUN play with the loss. KSU improved to 6-12 overall, also with a 1-5 mark in league play.
 
Stetson will square off against Florida Gulf Coast in the ASUN Championship opening round on Saturday, April 17, in Ft. Myers.
 
Kennesaw State 4, Stetson 3
04/11/21 at Kennesaw, Ga. (Betty Siegel Courts)
 
Singles competition
1. Taylor Dean (KSU) def. Anais Gabriel (STET) 6-4, 6-7 (7-1), 7-5
2. Katie Kubicz (STET) def. Ji Youn Lee (KSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
3. Paola Cortez (KSU) def. Danel Ashirova (STET) 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-2
4. Brooke Milner (STET) def. Valentina Taddia (KSU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Noa Cohen (STET) def. Sofia Pinedo (KSU) 6-3, 6-0
6. Soomin Kim (KSU) def. Elodie Foster (STET) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Taylor Dean / Paola Cortez (KSU) def. Danel Ashirova / Elodie Foster (STET) 6-2
2. Valentina Taddia / Ji Youn Lee (KSU) vs. Katie Kubicz / Brooke Milner (STET) 6-6, unfinished
3. Juliana Castellanos / Sofia Pinedo (KSU) def. Noa Cohen / Anais Gabriel (STET) 6-4

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (5,4,6,2,1,3)
 
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.