DELAND, Fla. – Jacksonville State women's tennis turned in a perfect morning of work in Saturday's sweep of North Alabama in the first round of the ASUN Tournament. The Gamecocks picked up the doubles point and added three dominant singles wins against their in-state foe to advance to the conference quarterfinals.
"Today we took care of business," head coach
Mike Mucci said after the win. "There were a few times we had to get through tight moments in both doubles and singles, but overall we stayed pretty composed and got the job done."
Similar to how Jax State (15-7) controlled the match early on in their 6-1 win on March 20, the Red-and-White cruised to the opening point. The tandem of
Polina Ramenskaja and
Ella Tuomela rolled to a 6-1 result on court three before
Zuzana Pavelekova and
Anna Syrova clinched the point with a 6-3 victory in the second flight. Mucci's top pair,
Romane Mosse and
Serafima Shastova, were also leading 5-1 before the doubles point was tallied.
Jacksonville State set the tone quickly in singles play against North Alabama (7-15). The ten-seeded Lions won just one first set at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. That fast start heavily added the seventh-seeded Gamecocks, as they were able to settle in early against UNA. Pavelekova posted a 6-1, 6-2, blowout on court six before
Dariana Prato added a 6-0, 6-0, shutout in the fifth flight. With Jax State on the verge of victory, Shastova- the ASUN Freshman of the Year- solidified the match win with a 6-4, 6-2 decision in the top showdown.
Saturday's victory in the Sunshine State marks the first postseason win for the program since a 4-1 triumph against Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference Semifinals on Apr. 20, 2013. In addition, with their 15 wins on the year, the Gamecocks have officially garnered their most in a season since 2013, when they went 15-11. The 4-0 sweep of North Alabama also stands as the team's eight of the Spring.
Jacksonville State survived and advanced in the first round and will now move on to the ASUN Quarterfinals, where they will take on two-seed Stetson (16-7). The Hatters went 6-2 in league play this season and were only defeated at Austin Peay (4-3) and versus Liberty (4-3). They had a 5-2 win over no. 71 Florida Gulf Coast on March 23 and also ended up with decisive wins against Central Arkansas, Kennesaw State, North Florida, and Queens.
"We can compete better still, and we will need to tomorrow in order to beat a very good Stetson team," Mucci said. "We will regroup mentally and physically and be ready to go in the morning."
Stetson is 1-0 all-time against Jacksonville State. The Hatters earned a 6-1 victory at the JSU Tennis Courts on Apr. 3, 2022, en route to winning the conference title.
Sunday morning's match in Florida will begin at 9 a.m. CDT. Links to follow along with live stats will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateTN), Instagram (@JaxStateWTennis), and Facebook (Jacksonville State University Tennis) accounts.
Tennis Match Results
JSU vs UNA
4/15/2023 in DeLand, Fla.
JSU 4, UNA 0
Singles Competition
- Serafima Shastova (JSU) def. Juliette Taileu (UNA) 6-4, 6-2
- Romane Mosse (JSU) vs. Martina Paladini (UNA) 7-6 (7-5), 1-0, unfinished
- Anna Syrova (JSU) vs. Kalais Going (UNA) 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
- Polina Ramenskaja (JSU) vs. Valeria San Miguel (UNA) 4-6, 6-0, 3-2, unfinished
- Dariana Prato (JSU) def. Ana Josic (UNA) 6-0, 6-0
- Zuzana Pavelekova (JSU) def. Nicole Reilly (UNA) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles Competition
- Romane Mosse/Serafima Shastova (JSU) vs. Ana Josic/Juliette Taileu (UNA) 5-1, unfinished
- Zuzana Pavelekova/Anna Syrova (JSU) def. Kalais Going/Valeria San Miguel (UNA) 6-3
- Polina Ramenskaja/Ella Tuomela (JSU) def. Martina Paladini/Nicole Reilly (UNA) 6-1
