DeLand, Fla. – The Stetson Hatters secured a 4-1 victory over South Florida on Wednesday afternoon, marking their first-ever win against the Bulls.
Katsiaryna Tuliakova and
Audelie Lesauvage set the tone early by clinching the doubles point in a tiebreak.
Alanna DiFrancesco dominated on Court 3 in singles, extending the Hatters' lead to 2-0.
Clelia Lombardi bounced back with strong performances in sets 2 and 3 on Court 5, earning Stetson's third point. Tuliakova sealed the match for the Hatters with a third-set win on Court 2.
Doubles:
Sienna Leeson/Margherita Marcon def.
Cheri Darley/
Alanna DiFrancesco 6-3
Audelie Lesauvage/
Katsiaryna Tuliakova def. Dharani Niroshan/Melisa Senli 7
7-6
4
Elicia Kim/
Anastasija Adeikyte def. Karine Kulidjian/Charlotte Ruud 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles:
Cheri Darley vs Melisa Senli 4-6, 6-3, 5-4 uf
Katsiaryna Tuliakova def. Margherita Marcon 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Alanna DiFrancesco def. Charlotte Ruud 6-1, 6-2
Sienna Leeson def.
Audelie Lesauvage 6-3, 6-2
Clelia Lombardi def. Dharani Niroshan 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
Anastasija Adeikyte vs Gargi Pawar 3-6, 6-3, 2-2 uf
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 5, 2
Quote from Katsiaryna Tuliakova:
"For the doubles, it was 7-6 and it was our second doubles together. The the team pushed us to compete hard and be proud to be on the court and win the match. 1-0 is a great confident start and I carried that confidence into singles.
Even after I lost the first set, I still believed because of the girls across the courts. The energy was great and even though I was down, it helped me to fight. I started to cramp in the second set and my opponent started to play drop shots to use that against me knowing it was painful to run. The second set was a set that I gave everything to and came out on top. The third set started great going up 1-0 but then I fell behind 2-1 and started cramping more. I looked at the board and saw Clelia was winning and I understood I needed to give everything leave everything on the court. I was able to take the lead with the team cheering me on which gave me the energy and confidence to push through it."
Up Next:
Stetson will host FAMU and Bethune-Cookman on Friday, February 7, with matches scheduled for 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. The Hatters previously faced Bethune-Cookman earlier this season, securing a 7-0 victory.
