Brian Olmo | Sports Director
The FIU women’s tennis team snatched a victory out of the jaws of defeat in a close match against the University of North Florida, 4-3, on Saturday, Feb. 11 at home on the FIU Tennis Courts.
FIU struggled early, losing 6-3 in doubles as the Panther’s No. 44 duo of graduate Kamila Umarova and freshman Ekaterina Khairutdinova fell to UNF graduates Kit Gulihur and Ana Paula Melilo.
However, it didn’t take long for the Panthers to launch a counterattack, as freshman Katerina Mandelikova and junior Salma Loudili handed the Osprey’s Megan Forster and Kendall Nash a 6-4 smackdown.
UNF took it personally and didn’t waste any time retaking the lead.
The Ospreys jumped out to a 2-1 lead after earning the first two singles wins, with Umarov losing to Forster, 2-6, 0-6, and sophomore Yasmine Kabbaj dropping to No. 90 Guilhur.
With FIU down 2-1, Khairutdinova pulled off a massive win over junior Anabelle Davis, 6-3, 6-4. Loudili’s victory against freshman Jasmin Makela gave FIU a 3-2 advantage. Freshman Oyinlomo Quadre finished off the Ospreys with an emphatic win over UNF’s Isabel Oliveira, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
The Panthers now head into a matchup against No. 21 UCF on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at UTSA National Campus in Orlando. The first serve is set for 5 p.m.
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