PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sweet Revenge. After dropping both matches earlier this season, No. 11 Saint Leo women's tennis got the win over No. 6 Nova Southeastern when it mattered most, in the NCAA Division II regional. The fifth-seeded Lions took the opening match 4-1 over the fourth-seeded Sharks.
 
The Green and Gold opened up the first round of the regional with the doubles point before taking three points in singles play. Saint Leo saw Marta Vicens Miquel and Celina Ermann win third doubles 6-3 before no. 16 duo Molly Helgesson and Lavinia Lacellotti won in a tough matchup with the seventh-ranked Sharks 7-6, claiming the tiebreaker 7-4.
 
No. 6 Molly Helgesson opened up and claimed the first singles point at first singles 7-5, 6-3, before Lacellotti took fourth singles 7-6 (10-8), 6-4, to the third point for the Green and Gold. To clinch the match, Nina Furmaniak upset no. 18 Daniela Obando in third singles 7-5, 5-7, 6-0.
 
No easy matchup, the Lions and Sharks have met three times this season, with Nova Southeastern taking the season opener 5-2 and the Sunshine State Conference semifinals matchup 4-0.

Results by Lineup

• Doubles and Singles rankings based on latest ITA National poll
• UF: match was left unfinished due to clinch match format

Doubles
No. 16 Molly Helgesson and Lavinia Lancellotti def. No. 7 Natalie Espinal and Chantal Nosievici (7-6 (7-4))
Nina Furmaniak and Takhmina Zhanatova vs. Daniel Obando and Isabella Lowrey (6-6, UF)
Marta Vicens Miquel and Celina Ermann def. Karolina Snita and Diane Follin-Arbelet (6-3)
 
Singles
No. 6 Molly Helgesson def. No. 10 Natalie Espinal (7-5, 6-3)
Marta Vicens Miquel vs. No. 16 Karolina Snita (2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 3-2, UF)
Nina Furmaniak def. No. 18 Daniela Obando (7-5, 5-7, 6-0)
Lavinia Lancellotti def. Chantal Nosievici (7-6 (10-8), 6-4)
Celina Ermann vs. Diane Follin-Arbelet (5-7, 7-6 (7-4), UF)
Celia Montero def. Ashley Griffith (0-6, 6-3, 6-2)

Up Next
Saint Leo will take on no. 2 Barry, the top seed in the regional, in the second round of the South Regional in Pensacola, Fla.

For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo women's tennis, be sure to 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.
 
Keeping Our Lions Healthy & Safe
Saint Leo University Athletics is keeping our student-athletes healthy and safe by following a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes having student-athletes tested or screened on a regular basis, traveling in smaller groups, holding competitions without fans in attendance, avoiding overnight trips, and wearing masks when not competing. These safety standards meet those set by the NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference President's Council. At Saint Leo University, the COVID-19 Incident Command Team also reviews the teams' safety protocol and monitors adherence on a regular basis