BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 9-ranked University of West Florida women’s tennis team (22-6) advanced to the finals of NCAA South Regional #2 today with a 5-3 victory over No. 19-ranked Florida Southern (11-11). The match was delayed for two days because of rain. The back-to-back Gulf South Champion Argonauts have won their last 11 matches.
A rain-soaked weekend left matches in the NCAA Men’s Tennis South Regional #2 and the NCAA Women’s Tennis South Regional #2 postponed. The semifinal matches for the women’s regional were both slated for Monday but were postponed a day due to rain. Yesterday, two rain delays occurred during the Florida Tech-Lynn semifinals match, pushing the conclusion of that match and the West Florida-Florida Southern match to this morning.
West Florida won two of the three doubles matches. At the No. 2 position, Argonauts Luiza Sonnervig (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Mariana Sonnervig (Sao Paulo, Brazil) teamed to defeat Christie Nunnemann and Olivia Spagnuolo, 8-3. UWF went up 2-0 when the No. 18-ranked duo of Caitlyn Baines (Ft. Walton Beach) and Sheila Smiley (Richmond Hill, Ontario) defeated the No. 14-ranked doubles team of Pamela Paradis and Magda Riutort, 9-7, at the No. 1 line. Baines and Smiley are 17-4 this season. Florida Southern tallied its first point of the day as Joalis Dominguez and Laura Wichmann defeated UWF’s duo of Hannah Durham (Hammond, La.) and Fernanda Amaral (Curitiba, Brazil), 9-8, at No. 3.
UWF took a 2-1 lead into singles. Luiza Sonnervig blanked Nunnemann, 6-0, 6-0, at the No. 3 position. Sonnervig has won her last eight matches. Dominguez defeated Mariana Sonnervig, 6-0, 6-0, at the No. 2 line. The score became tied at 3-3 as Wichmann defeated Durham, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 6. Smiley recorded a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Spanguolo at No. 4, bringing the Argos within one point of the overall victory. No. 29-ranked Barbara Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) clinched the win for the Argonauts as she defeated No. 39-ranked Riutort, 6-4, 7-5, at No. 1. Baines was leading Paradis, 6-4, 4-4 at the No. 5 position when play was halted.
West Florida will face No. 4-ranked and No. 2-seeded Lynn tomorrow in the NCAA South Regional #2 finals. Lynn defeated Florida Tech, 5-1, this morning. This will be the second time this season that the Argos and Fighting Knights have met. On March 19th, then No. 3-ranked Lynn defeated then No. 8-ranked UWF, 7-2, in Boca Raton.
The winner of the regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be played May 16-19th in Louisville, Ky. Live stats, results and a recap of the UWF-Lynn match will be available on Go Argos.com. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.
#ARGOS#
#9 West Florida 5, #19 Florida Southern 3
05/02/12 at Boca Raton, Fla.
NCAA South Regional #2 - Semifinals
Singles Competition
1. #29 Barbara Oliveira (UWF) def. #39 Magda Riutort (FSC) 6-4, 7-5
2. Joalis Dominguez (FSC) def. Mariana Sonnervig (UWF) 6-0, 6-0
3. Luiza Sonnervig (UWF) def. Christie Nunnemann (FSC) 6-0, 6-0
4. Sheila Smiley (UWF) def. Olivia Spanguolo (FSC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Caitlyn Baines (UWF) vs. Pamela Paradis (FSC) 6-4, 4-4 unfinished
6. Laura Wichmann (FSC) def. Hannah Durham (UWF) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles Competition
1. #18 Caitlyn Baines/Sheila Smiley (UWF) def. #14 Pamela Paradis/Magda Riutort (FSC) 9-7
2. Luiza Sonnervig/Mariana Sonnervig (UWF) def. Christie Nunnemann/Olivia Spagnuolo 8-3
3. Joalis Dominguez/Laura Wichmann (FSC) def. Hannah Durham/Fernanda Amaral (UWF) 9-8
Match Notes
West Florida 22-6; National Ranking #9; South Region #3
Florida Southern 11-11; National Ranking #19; South Region #6
Order of Finish: D2, D1, D3, S3, S2, S6, S4, S1
West Florida #3 seed; Florida Southern #6 seed in South Region
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