Box Score

KENNESAW, Ga. - For the second straight year, the women's tennis team came back from a 3-2 deficit against Jacksonville to pick up a crucial Atlantic Sun victory.  The match was an up and down affair throughout the day, but eventually the Owls (8-9, 1-5 A-Sun) were able to wear down the Dolphins (6-7, 2-4 A-Sun) and come away with their first A-Sun victory of the season.

In an almost identical scoring pattern to the previous year, Therese Lagerkvist defeated perennial Dolphin No. 6 Fernanda Carrero to close out the match for the Owls and seal the 4-3 victory.  A year ago, current sophomore Mackenzie Swindall fought through a marathon against Carrero and defeated her in a third set tiebreak to seal the match during the 2009 season.

Unlike last year, when the Owls shocked the Dolphins in doubles, the doubles were all one-sided affairs in favor of Jacksonville.  The Owls fell to 1-17 as a team in doubles in the conference this season.

"I am disappointed that we dug ourselves a hole once again in doubles today," commented head coach Brandon Padgett.  "However, I was equally thrilled at how the team responded in singles.  Our girls fought hard today, and I am glad it finally paid off with the win."

In the singles portion, the Owls got on the board for the first time when Morgan Carney dominated Dolphin senior Iva Jaresova, 6-0, 6-3.  Shortly thereafter, Vera Shkundina closed out her match against another senior, Tatiana Soldatova, 7-5, 6-2.  Soldatova also got only 7 games from Shkundina a year ago.

Two losses in singles by the Owls left the home team in a 3-2 hole, but Agatha Palider continued her hot weekend, downing Virginia Iwinski, 6-3, 6-3, to set up Lagerkvist's heroics.  Lagerkvist split the first two sets with Carrero before becoming the second straight freshman Owl to wear down Carrero at the No. 6 spot, winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 and setting off a celebration by the home team.

"The fact that we won three singles matches against experienced seniors says a lot about the maturity of our team today," added Padgett.  "We don't have any seniors on our team, and only three juniors, but you would never know from the way our girls handled themselves today."

The Owls will return to the court on Thursday, March 25, when they travel to Stetson on the Hatters' campus.