EDMOND, Okla. — It was indeed Sunday Funday for the Flagler College women's tennis team.
The ninth-ranked, eighth-seeded Saints cruised past 12th-ranked, fifth-seeded University of West Florida as Flagler took the doubles point, and
Alessandra Traub clinched in singles to secure the 4-0 sweep to begin day two of the ITA National Indoors at the Edmond Tennis Center.
It marked the second-ever meeting between the Argos (0-2) and Saints (2-3), while the victory served as Flagler's first versus the Sunshine State Conference school. Both of those matchups came at national indoors with last season's match ending in favor of UWF, 4-2.
"This match versus West Florida is one we have been looking forward to since losing last year here at nationals," Flagler women's tennis head coach
Rodrigo Puebla said. "The girls had a chip on their shoulder coming into today, and I think their play showed how much they wanted this win. It's a big victory for us moving forward, and we hope to build on it in the final day of indoors tomorrow."
Flagler got redemption from that tough ending a year ago as the Saints came out firing on all cylinders and never let up. The duo of
Luisa Hrda/
Eden Schlagenhauf solidified the first doubles point, and then
Florencia Massardo Brain and
Alice Benvegnu clinched the doubles point with Traub/
Anika Nissen leading on court two.
The Saints took the momentum into singles and it showed, even before Traub clinched the match on court three, Flagler hadn't lost a set across the board. Massardo started the singles' sweep with a straight-set win on court five, and then Nissen continued her impressive indoor stint with victory on court four.
Benvegnu grinded out a first-set, tiebreaking win on court six, while Hrda and Schlagenhauf won their first sets and were en route to take the next. Traub's two-set victory put the Saints in position to leave with a pair of wins, one more than they had in their first-ever appearance a season ago.
The Saints will now face fourth-ranked Nova Southeastern University in the final day of indoors, which will be played on Oklahoma State University's campus at the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center at 9:30 a.m.
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