MONTGOMERY, Ala. -  The Valdosta State women's tennis team won four of the six first sets in singles, but were unable to hang on, falling 4-3 to No. 11 Auburn Montgomery in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference Women's Tennis Championship Sunday afternoon.
 
VSU stands at 11-12 and will await its NCAA postseason fate.  AUM (18-5) won two of the three doubles matches for the early lead.  Blazer freshman Aneta Poborilova and junior Kayla Greco won 6-2 at No. 2 doubles, but AUM's duo of Ana Villalvazo and Nahia Izco won at No. 3 over sophomore Evelyn Altmaier and freshman Natalie Rainke to claim the early lead.
 
AUM took a 2-0 lead as No. 15-ranked Estefania Garcia won 6-0, 6-4 at the top spot over freshman Denisa Hankaova, but Altmaier continued her strong play towards the end of the season with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Sofia Neri at No. 6 for a 2-1 deficit.  Greco leveled the match at 2-2 as she won 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4 over Izco.  The momentum continued for the red and black as Rainke battled back for a gritty 2-6. 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2 for a 3-2 lead.  The Warkhawks would then tie the match as Ane Ibarra battled back for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win at the No. 5 spot and Regina Urbiola Ament won 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3 to win the match.
 
Despite the loss, the Blazer women's team showed great progress this season with 11 wins for the most since 2017 when the team went 17-7 and reached the second round of the NCAA Championship.  The eight league victories this season (8-2) marked the most for the Blazers since 2017 also.