LAKELAND â€" California (PA) escaped doubles play with a pair of tight wins, giving the 11th-ranked Vulcans an early lead, and went on to win five of six singles matches to earn an 8-1 victory over #12 Florida Southern.

Facing the Atlantic region’s number one team for the second year in a row, the Moccasins (3-7) dropped an 8-6 decision at the third doubles flight, and suffered a 9-8 loss in the top doubles position where the nation’s 17th-ranked team of Sabine Goge and Magda Riutort fell to 5th-ranked Martina Rubesova and Franziska Steonhardt.

The close scores continued to go California’s way in singles play where Anastassiya Zherdeva edged Christie Nunnemann 7-6, 7-5, and Ramona Czakon out-lasted Laura Wichmann 6-3, 5-7, 10-6.

Florida Southern did pick up a win at the top singles flight where Riutort earned the Mocs’ first win over a nationally ranked individual this season by downing #30 Anabel Pieschl 6-4, 6-2.

Last year, Florida Southern edged California (PA) 5-4 in a 5-hour match delayed in the middle by rain. Three of the six singles matches in that one went three sets, with Joalis Dominguez and the graduated Veronika Kovacikova winning theirs to secure the match for the Moccasins.

The Vulcans (9-3) improved to 2-2 on their trip to Florida against Sunshine State Conference schools and will play once more against Rollins before returning to Pennsylvania.

Florida Southern will play its next match on Tuesday, March 20, when it hosts Palm Beach Atlantic at 3:30 p.m.