LAKELAND - Everyone wearing the red and white of Florida Southern could leave the Beerman Tennis Center with a smile on their faces thanks to Nora Baertschi. After winning a third-set tie-breaker in the final match of the day, Baertschi's come-from-behind win lifted the 17th-ranked Moccasins to a 5-4 victory over #25 Augusta State.
With Wednesday's match tied at four, Baertschi trailed 5-4 and 6-5 in the final set but survived match point on two occasions to hold off Camila Correa. She eventually won the tie-breaker 7-5 to give the Moccasins (6-1) their second win of the season over a top-25 team. The sophomore had dropped the first set to Correa, 6-2, but forced the dramatic ending by winning the second set, 6-4.
Baertschi is now 7-0 on the season and has won her last 12 singles matches dating back to last season.
Florida Southern trailed most of the day against Augusta State but fought back to take a 4-3 lead on wins by Senka Softic and Erin Conroy. Augusta State (4-2) then tied the match when Fernanda Chiaparini out-lasted Ashley Hungerford at #2 singles, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.
Softic and Hungerford had earlier teamed up for an 8-4 win at the top doubles flight, but the Jaguars went ahead 2-1 in the match when their #2 doubles team of Bianca Machado and Marina Ferreira won a marathon match from Conroy and Veronika Kovacikova. That one ended 9-8, and essentially kept Augusta State in the match.
The Jaguars then went up 3-1 after the first singles match was completed, but Kovacikova got the Mocs going again with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Machado.
Florida Southern will play its next match on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. when it hosts #4 Lynn University.
