Hatters cruise past Mercer with 6-1 win

Box Score Deland, Fla. -- The Stetson University women's tennis team opened its 2022 season at home Friday morning as the Hatters won every match but one and topped Mercer University 6-1 at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.

Friday's match began with the Hatters (1-0) sweeping doubles competition. Noa Cohen and newcomer Nadejda Maslova led off the match with a clean 6-0 defeat of Mercer's Lekha Varudandi and Kristin Yordanova. Cheri Darley and Laia Pasini followed suit with a 6-2 win over Lauren Rich and Francesca Franchi to earn Stetson the first point of the day.

After the intermission, Alanna Di Francesco led off singles action with a 2-0 sweep of Varudandi as the Hatters freshman won 6-2 in the first set and 6-3 in set two. The Bears (0-1) claimed their only point of the day on court six as Yodandova defeated Pasini in two sets (6-4, 6-3). The Hatters then won their next two matches as Darley eventually came out on top 7-5 in her second set on court two and then Maslova sealed the win for Stetson on court one as she topped Mercer's Mary Courville in two sets (6-4, 6-4) to earn the Hatters their fourth point of the day.

"It's always tough to come out in our first match and play a good team like Mercer and know they're not going to leave anything on the court," said Hatters head coach Travis Sandlant. "They pushed us all the way to the end, even though it was a 6-1 match. The matches were close, so full credit to them for not giving up and I think the girls will definitely build some confidence off this, that's for sure."

The Hatters will sit idle for a week before Stetson welcomes Florida National University to DeLand on Friday Jan. 28. First serve is set for 11 a.m.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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Players Mentioned

Noa Cohen: 5' 8"; Junior

Laia Pasini: 5' 9"; Junior

Cheri Darley: 5' 9"; Freshman

Alanna DiFrancesco: 5' 5"; Freshman

Nadejda Maslova: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Noa Cohen
: 5' 8"; Junior

Laia Pasini
: 5' 9"; Junior

Cheri Darley
: 5' 9"; Freshman

Alanna DiFrancesco
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Nadejda Maslova
: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Stetson University Athletics

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Hatters cruise past Mercer with 6-1 win

Players Mentioned

Noa Cohen

Laia Pasini

Cheri Darley

Alanna DiFrancesco

Nadejda Maslova

Players Mentioned

Noa Cohen

Laia Pasini

Cheri Darley

Alanna DiFrancesco

Nadejda Maslova