Box Score MATCH RESULTS

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 15 Nova Southeastern University women's tennis team (1-2) fell short under the Friday night lights as No. 14 Valdosta State rallied to defeat the Sharks, 5-4.
 
"It was a long, grueling match for both teams," said head coach Doug Neagle. "It was a non-stop battle for five hours and I credit the girls for fighting until the last point. It is unfortunate to be on the losing side from a match like this but it is part of the experience. We have a young team with talent and if we keep our heads up the future will be bright."
 
For the third consecutive match, the Sharks took the early lead winning two of the three doubles matches. Nastassia Rubel/Simone Pratt got the Sharks on the score board first with an 8-2 win over Daniella Barta/Sabrina Schmidt at No. 2 doubles. After Valdosta State (1-1) tied it at 1-1 winning No 3 doubles, Luicelena Perez/Isabella Lowrey regained the lead winning 8-5 over Bea Morales/Anke Poncelet in No. 1 doubles.
 
The lead didn't last as the Blazers took a 3-2 lead after winning the fourth and fifth singles flights. The Sharks would respond tying the match 3-3 when Rubel defeated Schmidt 6-2, 6-3 in No. 2 singles. Perez stepped up again in the top flight defeating Morales 6-2, 6-2 giving the Sharks the lead 4-3 and improved her singles record to 3-0. But the Blazers would rally winning in the second and sixth singles flights to win the match.
 
The Sharks will stay at the Valdosta State Tennis Courts for a neutral match against College of Coastal Georgia tomorrow at noon.