BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 9-ranked University of West Florida women’s tennis team saw its season come to an end today as the Argos dropped a 1-5 decision to No. 4-ranked Lynn in the finals of NCAA South Regional #2. The Argos finish the season with a 22-7 record, while the Fighting Knights move to 20-4 on the year and advance to the NCAA Championships.
West Florida was perfect in Gulf South Conference (GSC) regular season play and won the GSC Women’s Tennis Championships in Montgomery, Ala. The Argos were awarded the No. 3 seed in the South Region and faced No. 19-ranked and No. 6-seeded Florida Southern in the regional quarterfinals yesterday. The Argos won the match, which was delayed two days because of rain in the Boca Raton area, 5-3, to advance to the regional finals.
Today is the second time that UWF and Lynn have met this season. On March 19th, then No. 3-ranked Lynn defeated then No. 8-ranked UWF, 7-2, in Boca Raton. Today, the Argos are the No. 9 ranked team in the nation and are listed as No. 3 in the South Region. Lynn No. 4 in the nation currently and is No. 2 in the South Region. As the No. 2-seed in the South Region, Lynn was awarded the host site for NCAA South Regional #2.
West Florida’s lone doubles victory came at the No. 2 position, where sisters Luiza Sonnervig (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Mariana Sonnervig (Sao Paulo, Brazil) teamed to defeat Ana Kriz and Roxane Alexandru, 8-6. At the No. 1 line, the No. 3-ranked duo of Ioana Ivan and Sabine Krause tallied an 8-3 victory over the Argonaut duo of Caitlyn Baines (Ft. Walton Beach) and Sheila Smiley (Richmond Hill, Ontario), who are currently ranked No. 16 nationally. Kim Przeszlowski and Andrea Berkova defeated UWF’s duo of Fernanda Amaral (Curitiba, Brazil) and Barbara Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), 9-7, at No. 3.
Lynn took a 2-1 lead into singles. The Fighting Knights made the score 3-1 when No. 19-ranked Krause defeated Mariana Sonnervig, 6-1, 6-2, at the No. 2 position. Berkova defeated Smiley, 6-1, 7-6, at No. 4. Alexandru sealed the win for Lynn as she defeated UWF senior Naomi Higa (Córdoba, Argentina), 6-3, 6-4, at the No. 6 line. As Lynn had clinched the overall victory, all other singles matches were halted.
West Florida’s spring season comes to an end with a 22-7 record. The back-to-back (GSC) Champions placed four players on 2012 All-GSC teams. Oliveira also received GSC Player of the Year accolades while head coach Derrick Racine took home GSC Coach of the Year honors. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.
#ARGOS#
#4 Lynn 5, #9 West Florida 1
05/03/12 at Boca Raton, Fla.
NCAA South Regional #2 - Finals
Singles Competition
1. #3 Ioana Ivan (LU) vs. #34 Barbara Oliveira (UWF) 6-4, 5-4 unfinished
2. #19 Sabine Krause (LU) def. Mariana Sonnervig (UWF) 6-1, 6-2
3. Luiza Sonnervig (UWF) vs. Kim Przeszlowski (LU) 6-6 unfinished
4. Andrea Berkova (LU) def. Sheila Smiley (UWF) 6-1, 7-6
5. Caitlyn Baines (UWF) vs. Ana Kriz (LU) 6-2, 5-2 unfinished
6. Roxane Alexandru (LU) def. Naomi Higa (UWF) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles Competition
1. #3 Ioana Ivan/Sabine Krause (LU) def. #16 Caitlyn Baines/Sheila Smiley (UWF) 8-3
2. Luiza Sonnervig/Mariana Sonnervig (UWF) def. Ana Kriz/Roxane Alexandru (LU) 8-6
3. Kim Przeszlowski/Andrea Berkova (LU) def. Fernanda Amaral/Barbara Oliveira (UWF) 9-7
Match Notes
West Florida 22-7; National Ranking #9; South Region #3
Lynn 20-4; National Ranking #4; South Region #2
Order of Finish: D1, D2, D3, S2, S4, S6
West Florida #3 seed; Lynn #2 seed in South Region
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