TAMPA, Florida (March 24, 2017) – The FIU women's tennis team (16-1) defeated USF, 6-1, for the team's 14th-straight victory on Friday, March 24, from the USF Varsity Tennis Courts in Tampa, Florida.
The Panthers, ranked No. 30 in the latest Oracle/ITA ranking, extended their winning streak with the team's second win over the Bulls (8-8) this season. The 14-game winning streak for FIU is tied for the fourth-longest winning streak in school history (14-consecutive in 2000) and is the longest since the 2001 season (18-straight).
FIU jumped out to a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point. The duo of
Mina Markovic and Gabriela Ferriera defeated USF's Nicole Dzenga and Ana Roman, 6-1, followed by a 6-4 victory for the team of
Maryna Veksler and
Ulyana Grib over Vera Bessonova and Vanja Klaric.
In singles action, Grib claimed her sixth-straight win to improve to 19-4 on the year. The first-year Panther defeated Klaric, 6-3, 6-2, to make it 2-0. A 6-3, 6-3 decision for Markovic over Bessonova gave FIU a 3-0 advantage. The win was the 16
th of the season for Markovic.
Nina Nagode clinched the match for the Panthers, giving FIU its 14
th-straight win with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory versus Dzenga. The win was the senior's sixth-straight.
FIU extended its lead to 5-0 following a 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 win for
Andrea Lazaro versus Roman. Ranked No. 41 in the latest Oracle/ITA Individual Rankings, Lazaro improved to 18-4 on the year and increased her career win total to 42-13 (29-2 in dual matches).
The Panthers surrender their first point in five-straight matches as Veksler fell to Juliana Cardoso, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6. FIU closed out the match as Ferreira won her team-best, ninth-straight match with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win over Jessica Chaves.
FIU will stay in Tampa and take on Temple on Saturday, March 25. First serve is set for 12:00 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Facebook (
Facebook.com/FIUWTennis) for all the latest FIU women's tennis news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (
Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU:
Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that 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 contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
