MOBILE, Ala. (April 23, 2011) - The FIU women's tennis team (12-6) earned its seventh-straight berth in the Sun Belt Conference title game with a 4-3 win over North Texas (10-12) on Saturday, April 23, at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts on the campus of the University of South Alabama.
With the match tied at 3-3, sophomore Rita Maisak defeated Madura Ranganathan in three sets to give the Panthers their 12th victory of the season. Maisak fell behind early, dropping the first set, 6-4, before rallying in the second set, 7-5, to tie the match at 1-all. The native of Minsk, Belarus, took care of business in the third and final set, defeating Ranganthan, 6-2.
FIU took an early 1-0 lead in the match after making short work of the Mean Green in doubles play. Juniors Christine Seredni and Lisa Johnson defeated the duo of Paula Dinuta and Madura Ranganathan, 8-3 before seniors Maria Spenceley and Liset Brito closed out doubles play with an 8-3 victory over Barbora Vykydalova and Irina Parschiv. For Brito and Spenceley, it was the pair's 12th win of the year.
North Texas jumped out on FIU in singles play, taking a 2-1 lead as Johnson fell to Parschiv, 6-0, 6-2, and freshman Giulietta Boha lost to Amy Joubert, 6-1, 6-3. The Panthers tied the match, 2-2, as Brito downed Vykydalova, 6-1, 6-2. The win was No. 61 of her FIU career (No. 4 on the all-time wins list at FIU).
Seredni gave FIU a 3-2 lead, defeating Dinuta, 6-2, 6-4. The win improved the Glen Allen, Va., native to 12-5 on the season.
North Texas tied the match a 3-all, as Spenceley dropped a 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, contest to Nadia Lee. Maisak closed out the match with the sophomore's ninth win of 2011.
Last year the Panthers fell to the Mean Green, 4-3, in the championship game.
With the win, FIU improved to 30-8 all-time in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, while Head Coach Melissa Applebaum-Dall'au improved to 7-1 in SBC Tournament action.
The Panthers will take on the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Championship match on Sunday, April 24. It will mark the team's 11th appearance in the title game. The match is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET.
Tennis Match Results
North Texas vs FIU Panthers
Apr 23, 2011 at Mobile, Ala.
#63 FIU Panthers 4, North Texas 3
Singles competition
1. #57 Brito, Liset (FIU) def. Barbora Vykydalova (NT) 6-1, 6-2
2. Irina Parschiv (NT) def. Johnson, Lisa (FIU) 6-0, 6-2
3. Seredni, Christine (FIU) def. Paula Dinuta (NT) 6-2, 6-4
4. Nadia Lee (NT) def. Spenceley, Maria (FIU) 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4
5. Maisak, Rita (FIU) def. Madura Ranganathan (NT) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
6. Amy Joubert (NT) def. Boha,Giulietta (FIU) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Brito, Liset/Spenceley, Maria (FIU) def. Barbora Vykydalova/Irina Parschiv (NT) 8-3
2. Maisak, Rita/Boha,Giulietta (FIU) vs. Nadia Lee/Amy Joubert (NT) 6-4, unfinished
3. Seredni, Christine/Johnson, Lisa (FIU) def. Paula Dinuta/Madura Ranganathan (NT) 8-3
Match Notes:
North Texas 10-12
FIU Panthers 12-6; National ranking #63
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,6,1,3,4,5)
Sun Belt Championships, Semifinals
#1 FIU vs #4 North Texas
