LAKELAND, Fla. – The shorthanded Valdosta State women's tennis team gave everything it had and battled with No. 11 Florida Southern, before falling 4-2 Monday afternoon. FSC had forfeit wins at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.
Blazer (1-3) top duo of senior
Lena Beckx and junior
Milica Prokick downed top Moccasin duo of Kennedi Brown and Josie Holderbach, 6-1 to even the doubles point. At No. 2 doubles, FSC's Emily Jennewein and Ronja Schueremann dealt Blazer duo of sophomore
Ivana Castillo Hurtado and junior
Charleigh Fay a heartbreaking 7-6 (7-5) loss to clinch the point.
In singles, FSC (1-2) took a 2-0 lead with the forfeited win at No. 6 and a 3-0 lead as Holderbach downed Beckx, 6-3, 6-3 at the top spot. Castillo Hurtado handed Annika Berrendorf a 6-1, 6-1 loss at the No. 3 spot, but Jennewein won 6-4, 6-4, at No. 4 singles over Fay to clinch the match. At the same moment, Blazer junior junior
Kitti Nemeth won 6-3, 6-0 at No. 5 over Diana Volkov for the 4-2 final score. Prokic and Scheuermann were in the third set when the match was clinched at No. 2 singles.
Despite the loss, the Blazers have shown great improvement this season against really good nationally ranked competition. The Blazers return to action on Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. at Coastal Georgia, before returning home to open Gulf South Conference play on Mar. 4 versus Lee at 2 p.m. at the VSU Tennis Courts.