All-American Senka Softic posted the clinching win at No. 1 singles, as the 14th-ranked Moccasins edged ninth-ranked Rollins 5-4 on Tuesday in their Sunshine State Conference match at Winter Park.
The win improved the Moccasins’ record to 15-2 and gave them a final SSC record of 6-2, which likely will earn them the No. 3 seed in the SSC Tournament Apr. 15-17 in Lakeland. Rollins fell to 14-6, 4-3 SSC. The win also was the Lady Mocs' first at Rollins since the 1984 season.
The Moccasins had a 2-1 lead after winning two of the three doubles matches. Softic and doubles partner Agnese Rozite, ranked 15th in Division II, topped Rollins’ 18th-ranked doubles team of Margaret Junker and Kayli Ragsdale 8-6 at No. 1 doubles. Andrea Arguello and Veronika Kovacikova won 8-4 at No. 2 doubles.
In the singles competition, Rollins posted wins at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6, while the Moccasins got straight-set wins from Rozite at No. 2, topping 15th-ranked Holly Fleming, and Arguello at No. 3 to leave the match tied at 4-4 with only the No. 1 singles match remaining.
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Softic won the first set 7-6, winning the tie-breaker 10-6, and was leading 2-1 in the second set, when the Tars’ Roshni Luthra was forced to retire due to an injury.
The wins by Softic were her 70th in singles, two short of the FSC career record, and her 63rd in doubles, three short of the FSC career record.
The Moccasins play their final regular season match Saturday at noon against Embry-Riddle on the FSC courts.
