SAINT LEO, Fla. – The No. 26 Saint Leo women’s tennis team (2-2, 0-1 SSC) fell in its conference home opener to the No. 31-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks, 6-3, Saturday afternoon from the Saint Leo Tennis Center.
The Sharks set the early tone to the match as they took each of the three doubles matches against the home-standing Lions, gaining an early 3-0 advantage. Saint Leo recovered to take three singles matches, but it wasn’t enough as Saint Leo fell to Nova Southeastern.
The Lions saw a tough defeat at No. 3 doubles to open the match as Bethania Laan and Samantha White dropped an 8-3 decision to Paige Lindsley and Austin Lavalli. The Sharks followed by claiming the win at the No. 1 spot as Laura Kemkes and Adrianna Daszkiewicz fell to Dominique Wimmer and Okasana Krutiyenko, 8-4. Despite a great effort by the Lions’ No. 2 pair of Jeanette McDonald and Selma Hidass, the team lost a back-and-forth challenge to Justine Feaster and Kamryn Blackwood, 8-6.
Having to battle back from a 3-0 deficit, the Lions began to mount a comeback charge. Hidass quickly gave the Lions their first point as she blew past Federica Longo in straight-sets 6-1, 6-1. Kemkes was nipping at her teammates heals as she made the score 3-2 with a dominating 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles.
After Bauer made it 4-2 with a win at No. 6, McDonald bounced Daria Burobina in consecutive sets, 6-3, 6-0.
Unfortunately, it was as close as the Lions came as Wimmer outlasted a pesky Laan, 6-4, 6-3 to clinch the match.
With the match already decided, Daszkiewicz put on an impressive performance at No. 4 singles. Her opponent, Lindsley, claimed the first set 6-4, but the Lions exciting freshman turned the tables on Lindsley in the second set, 6-4. Unluckily, Daszkiewicz couldn’t convert the comeback as she fell in the super tiebreak, 11-9.
On the day’s events, Head Coach James Bryce was quoted as saying, “When you start the day slowly, it can be difficult to get back into the match. We fought hard in singles, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit and pull off a come-from-behind win. We need to refocus and get ready for Eckerd on Wednesday.”
Up next, the Lions and Eckerd College Tritons will clash in a non-conference match next Wednesday, February 23, from the McArthur Tennis Complex in St. Petersburg, Fla.
