SAINT LEO, Fla. – Entering the Sunshine State Conference Tennis Championship tournament, the No. 5 Saint Leo University women's tennis team routed its quarterfinal opponent No. 44 Florida Tech by a 5-0 final score on Thursday at the Saint Leo Tennis Complex.

After a pair of rain delays, the Lions improve to a 17-4 overall record while the Panthers fall to 14-10 on the season.

The Green and Gold rolled to a 3-0 lead after sweeping the doubles round as tandem Paula Montoya and Gabrielle Paul ousted Erin Egoroff and Kayla Hergott by an 8-5 final score.  No. 8 duo of Isabella Robbiani and Maria Benkirane battled back from a 3-6 deficit to take their doubles set by an 8-6 score.  Marine Beugre-Guyot and Pauline Helgesson followed suit, sealing the sweep with an 8-5 win over Mariana Castaneiras and Merritt Rabson.

Katherine Zaatini rolled Jessica Widmark by 6-2, 6-2 sets to give the Lions a 4-0 advantage on the contest.  Moments later, Montoya bested Chloe Chanley by 6-4 and 6-0 sets to clinch the victory and advance the hosting Lions into the semifinals of the Sunshine State Conference Tennis Championship. 

The Green and Gold will face the two-seed Nova Southeastern University at 11:30 a.m. on Friday as the winner advances to the championship final on Saturday.  Live stats as well as a live video webcast will be made available through www.saintleolions.com.

For more information on the Saint Leo women's tennis program, visit SaintLeoLions.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.