#19 Women's Tennis Take On #3 Saint Leo in SSC Quarterfinals

LAKELAND, Fla. - The No. 19 Florida Southern College women's tennis team earned a fifth seed in the 2023 Sunshine State Conference Championships set to begin this week. The Mocs will face No. 3/4^th-Seed Saint Leo University on Thursday to open the conference tournament.
 
LOCATION: IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. – Hosted by Florida Southern College
COURTS: IMG Tennis Academy - 5500 34th St W., Bradenton, Fla. 34210
DATE: April 20-22 (Rain Day April 23), 2:00 p.m. Quarterfinals vs Saint Leo
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL: https://sunshinestateconference.com/news/2023/4/10/championship-central-2023-ssc-mens-womens-tennis.aspx
 
"We are excited for the opportunity to host the SSC Championships and play Saint Leo again tomorrow," said head coach for the Moccasins Trish Riddell. "We battled well with them last time and looking to take lessons learned and implement them this time. Go Mocs!"
 
5^th Seed – The Moccasins – Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Statistics
Florida Southern earned a bid into the SSC Championship with a fifth-seed and 13-5 overall record. The Mocs are 4-5 in the conference, a three-way tie in the league that was divided based on national rankings at the point of the tiebreak. Last time out, the Mocs lost a tough match against Embry-Riddle 4-3 last week. The week before, FSC upset No. 9 Tampa with a 4-3 win on Senior Day as senior student-athlete Isabella Bolivar was the clinching court to upset the Spartans in Lakeland. This season, FSC started the season 0-2 but went on an 11-match win streak in an impressive run rivaling program bests. Mocs had conference wins over No. 23 Rollins, Eckerd, Palm Beach Atlantic, and No. 9 Tampa over the course of the season.
 
The Mocs continue to have Maxima Ellenberg and Laura Vetter ranked in the top 25 of doubles in Division II programs. They have a 7-3 record and have been great in the early part of the season. In singles, the Mocs have Olivia Bryant with a 57^th ranking and Laia Pasini with 69^th. Bryant leads the team with 15 wins on the season as both she and Pasini have a nationally ranked singles victory on their resume for the 2023 season. Freshman Kennedi Brown has also excelled, with a perfect 6-0 singles record, while contributing to a strong #3 court paired with Kelly Klaren for a 10-4 overall record.
 
4^th Seed – The Lions - Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Statistics
Saint Leo enter as a fourth seed with an 18-4 overall record and 6-3 in the conference. Most recently, the Lions beat the Tars 7-0 in a rescheduled match that delayed the release of the women's tennis bracket ahead of the conference tournament. SLU has lost to Lynn, Nova Southeastern, and Barry in the conference, each of the top four teams in the nation. Conference wins include Rollins, Eckerd, Florida Southern, Tampa, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Embry-Riddle.
 
The Lions have three singles players in the top 75 of the nation, as Marta Vicens is fifth among Division II talent. Claurdia Borbon is 17^th and Luzia Obermeier is 31^st for singles play according to the latest ITA poll. A strong doubles pairing of Lavinia Lancellotti and Vicens ranked third in Division II with a 19-4 overall record.
 
FSC in the SSC Championship
Florida Southern has won 10 SSC titles in program history, with a dominant stretch in the 80s and 90s. The last tournament championship for Florida Southern was in 1993. Most recently, the Mocs are looking for a tournament win, with the last in 2017 as the Mocs went 2-1 in the tournament for a third-place finish. Last season, the Mocs lost 4-0 over Barry, who would go on to win the national championship. Overall, the Mocs are 21-36 in the tournament and Coach Riddell holds a 12-19 record in the tournament, the most wins in program history for a coach. Riddell is in her 17^th season for the Mocs.
 
The Matchup – FSC vs Saint Leo
Both teams faced each other in the regular season, with the Lions winning 7-0 on March 30. Mocs have lost the last six matches against SLU but hold a 71-12 overall record in their history. The last time these two teams met in the SSC Championships, Mocs won 5-1 in the 2017 tournament and are 5-0 against the Lions in total SSC appearances together dating back to 1990.
 
Other Games in the SSC
Friday, April 20 - Quarterfinals - 2:00 PM
#1 Barry vs. #8 Rollins
#2 Nova Southeastern vs. #7 Embry-Riddle
#3 Lynn vs. #6 Tampa
#4 Saint Leo vs. #5 Florida Southern