MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The No. 2 seed FIU women's tennis team saw its season come to a close on Friday afternoon, falling 4-3 to No. 6 seed Liberty Flames in the semifinals of the Conference USA Championships at the MTSU Tennis Complex.
 
The Panthers battled throughout the match, earning three singles victories, but were unable to overcome an early deficit after dropping the doubles point.
 
In doubles play, FIU picked up a win on Court 2 as Vittoria Baccino and Jelena Vico secured a 6-3 victory. However, Liberty claimed wins on Courts 1 and 3 to take the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead.
 
FIU responded in singles behind a solid performance from Katerina Mandelikova, who cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 1 to even the match. 
 
Liberty answered with wins on Courts 4 and 5 to take the lead, but FIU responded as Jelena Vico delivered a strong 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory at No. 3 and Aleksandra Simeva added a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win at No. 6, tying the match at 3-3.
 
The match ultimately came down to Court 2, where Vittoria Baccino battled in a three-set thriller but fell just short in a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5) decision, as Liberty secured the 4-3 victory.
 
FIU concludes its season following a strong showing in the Conference USA Championships, highlighted by a quarterfinal sweep and a hard-fought semifinal performance.
 
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