Box Score RESULTS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University tennis team (11-0, 4-0 SSC) earned another win over a top-five opponent to stay undefeated Monday, defeating the Lynn Fighting Knights (11-2, 2-2 SSC), 5-4. The win was the program's first ever against the Fighting Knights, a team that has won three NCAA National Championships and is a perennially top-five ranked team.
The Sharks had to battle from behind on two separate occasions, with the first coming after NSU fell behind in doubles play, 2-1. In the first draw,
Sabrina Kierberg (Jr., Munich, Germany) and
Francesca Sella (Fr., Carpenedolo, Italy) fell to Valentine Confalonieri and Rosalle Willig, 8-1. The Sharks picked up their only doubles win in the second draw, with
Irina Constantinide (Jr., Galati, Romania) and
Petra Jurova (Jr., Bratislavia, Slovakia) defeating Kim Przeszlowski and Alina Jane, 8-2.
The third draw would end in Lynn's favor, with
Alexandra Johansson (Sr., Sydney, Australia) and
Alex Kaeser (So., Woodstock, Ga.) falling to Martina Gledacheva and Carolina Cuevas, 8-5. NSU made a comeback to tie up the pro set halfway through, but Lynn closed strong.
The deficit was quickly erased in singles play when NSU won the third and fourth draws. Constantinide won her match first against Cuevas, 6-3, 6-0. Sella quickly followed with a win over Gledacheva, 6-3, 6-4, giving NSU a 3-2 overall lead.
The pendulum swung back to Lynn after a pair of singles victories. Despite a strong comeback attempt, Johansson fell to Jane in the fifth draw, 6-3, 7-6. In the top flight, Kierberg took on the nation's top player in Confalonieri. The junior upset her in the first set, 4-6, before succumbing in the next two, 6-4, 6-2.
Trailing 4-3, NSU needed to take both remaining matches. In the sixth draw,
Carlee Rizzolo (Jr., Livingston, N.J.) won the first set, 6-3, and fought from behind to take the second over Przeszlowski, 7-6. The entire day came down to the second draw, pitting undefeated Jurova against Willig, the 20th ranked player in Division II. Jurova earned a hard-fought victory to put her team on top overall, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.
The undefeated Sharks will continue their challenging schedule on Wednesday, facing No. 33 St. Edwards at 2:30 p.m. at home.
