DENTON, Texas (April 21, 2012) --- The FIU women's tennis team defeated the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, 4-2, on Saturday, April 21, to advance to the program's eighth-straight Sun Belt Conference Championship Final.
The Panthers (7-14) will face the No. 1-seeded North Texas Mean Green for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament crown on Sunday, April 22. The match is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET.
With the Panthers leading 3-2, sophomore Giulietta Boha defeated Taylor Coffey, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, to give FIU its seventh victory of the season, while improving the team's all-time record in the SBC semifinals to 12-2.
FIU jumped out to a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles portion of the match. Middle Tennessee (15-7) took the first doubles contest as Boha and freshman Karyn Guttormsen fell to Marietta Bigus and Yuiri Nomoto, 8-4. The Panthers rebounded; taking the final two doubles contests to earn the match's first point. Junior Rita Maisak and freshman Sarah McLean defeated Lexi Brand and Nayara Moraes, 8-4, while seniors Lisa Johnson and Christine Seredni downed Alex Dachos and Flavia Nagayama, 8-4.
Middle Tennessee tied the match, 1-1, as Guttormsen fell to Moraes, 6-2, 6-4. The Panthers responded with two-straight points to take a 3-1 lead. Seredni defeated Bigus in straight-sets, 6-0, 6-1, followed by a 6-4, 6-2 victory by Johnson over Nagayama.
The Blue Raiders cut into FIU's lead when McLean lost to Brand, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
Boha closed out the match with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over Coffey.
The win improved the Panthers all-time record versus the Blue Raiders to 7-1 and 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
FIU will be looking to claim its second-straight Sun Belt Conference title as the Panthers will face the No. 59-ranked Mean Green on Sunday.
To follow the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Women's Tennis Championships, visit the Championship Central page or follow along on Twitter (@FIUAthletics).
Tennis Match Results
Middle Tennessee vs FIU Panthers
Apr 21, 2012 at Denton, Texas
FIU Panthers 4, Middle Tennessee 2
Singles competition
1. Maisak, Rita (FIU) vs. Nomoto, Yuiri (MT) 7-5, 4-6, 4-4, unfinished
2. Brand, Lexi (MT) def. McLean, Sarah (FIU) 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
3. Johnson, Lisa (FIU) def. Nagayama, Flavia (MT) 6-4, 6-2
4. Moraes, Nayara (MT) def. Guttormsen, Karyn (FIU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Seredni, Christine (FIU) def. Bigus, Marietta (MT) 6-0, 6-1
6. Boha, Giulietta (FIU) def. Coffey, Taylor (MT) 6-7, 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Maisak, Rita/McLean, Sarah (FIU) def. Brand, Lexi/Moraes, Nayara (MT) 8-4
2. Bigus, Marietta/Nomoto, Yuiri (MT) def. Boha, Giulietta/Guttormsen, Karyn (FIU) 8-4
3. Johnson, Lisa/Seredni, Christine (FIU) def. (MT) 8-4
Match Notes:
Middle Tennessee 15-7
FIU Panthers 7-14
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,5,3,2,6)
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls 46,000 students in two campus and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visithttp://www.fiu.edu/.
