SAINT LEO, FL - Lola Asis defeated Andrada Gordan, 7-5, 6-4, at number six singles to snap a 4-4 tie and lift 17th-ranked Florida Southern to a 5-4 victory over No. 24 Saint Leo in Sunshine State Conference action here Wednesday at the Saint Leo Tennis Center. The Moccasins improve to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the SSC while Saint Leo dropped its first match of the season to drop to 3-1 and 1-1.
Florida Southern jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles competition. Asis and Lorena Rionda downed Gordan and Sophie Vlietstra, 8-2, at number three for the Mocs' first win while Nina Schwab and Magda Stepnik topped Kristyna Jurkova and Madeleine Gauthier, 8-5, at number two for a 2-0 FSC lead. Saint Leo avoided the sweep with an 8-6 win by Marta Vicens Miquel and Maja Pindelska over Sasha Nionova and Selin Devrimci at number one.
In singles, Gauthier downed Natalija Popovic, 6-3, 6-3, at number four to tie the match. Devrimci gave the lead back to Florida Southern with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Pindelska at number three, but Jurkova topped Rionda, 6-3, 6-4, at number two to knot the match once again. Nionova, ranked 13th in the NCAA Division II got by 44th-ranked Vicens Miquel, 6-4, 7-5, at number one to put the Moccasins ahead, but Fabiola Cardenas outlasted Stepnik, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, at number five to set up the decisive final set.
Florida Southern will host West Florida this Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Wynee Warden Tennis Center.
