LAKELAND - Returning veteran Sabine Goge and freshman Magda Riutort got the Moccasins off to a good start Friday in their first match of the season, but the Argonauts won the final three singles matches as #8 West Florida came away with a 7-2 win over #10 Florida Southern.
Playing their season opener against a top-10 opponent for the second year in a row, the Moccasins and Argonauts (0-1) split the first two doubles matches of the day, with Goge and Riutort combining for an 8-3 win at the top flight. Goge and Riutort began the year ranked as the #20 doubles team in the nation, while West Florida's Caitlyn Baines, who was part of the nation's #11 doubles team last year, was also playing with a new partner in freshman Fernanda Amaral.
West Florida won the #3 doubles match to take the lead, and Amaral got the Argonauts next point with a straight set win at #5 singles over Laura Wichmann. After the Argos earned another singles point at the third positions, Riutort made the team score 4-2 with a straight set win at the #2 position over Baines. Facing each other for the second time in the match, their first set ended in a 6-6 tie before Riutort swept the tie-breaker and won the second set 6-3.
The Moccasins had also won the first set at #1 singles behind Goge, and #4 singles behind Christie Nunnemann, but their opponents each came back to win the next two and clinch the match for the Argonauts. Naomi Higa closed it out by winning another 3-set match for the Argos, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 10-8.
Prior to Friday, Florida Southern had won the last two regular season meetings with West Florida, defeating the Argonauts last year in Pensacola when they were ranked #7, and in 2008 in Lakeland when they were ranked #5. The Argonauts, however, had turned the tables on the Mocs in the postseason by eliminating Florida Southern from the regional tournament in 2009 and 2001.
Florida Southern's next match will be on Tuesday, February 14 at the University of Tampa beginning at 3:00 p.m.
