FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 16 Nova Southeastern tennis team (13-11) fell in the first round of the 2014 Sunshine State Conference Tournament to the No. 7 Saint Leo Lions (17-4) Thursday in Winter Park, Fla.
The Sharks' lone point came in the third doubles flight from sophomores
Linda Kornienko (Fort Myers, Fla.) and
Iryna Serdyuk (Boca Raton, Fla.). The duo topped Saint Leo's Maria Benkirane and Adrianna Daszkiewicz, 8-5. The pair is now 3-2 on the season.
The Lions took an advantage by winning the top two doubles flights. The top-flight team of
Alexandra Johansson (Jr., Sydney Australia) and
Carlee Rizzolo (So., Livingston, N.J.) were topped by Pauline Helgesson and Paula Montoya, 8-4. In the second draw,
Sabrina Kierberg (So., Berlin, Germany) and
Alex Kaeser (Fr., Woodstock, Ga.) fell to Laura Kemkes and Anastasia Wagner, 8-5.
In singles, Kornienko took the first loss in the fourth draw against Benkirane, 6-0, 6-2. Next, Kierberg lost to Kemkes in the second flight, 6-0, 6-1. Saint Leo sealed the win and advanced to the SSC semifinals when Montoya defeated
Bianca Roberts (Jr., Tampa, Fla.), 6-0, 6-2.
NSU finished the tournament with a 13-11 record, a five-win improvement off of last year's finish.
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