DELAND, Fla. – Jacksonville State women's tennis battled until the end in Sunday's 4-1 setback in the ASUN Tournament Quarterfinals at second-seeded Stetson. The lopsided final score does not accurately represent how close the Sunshine State showdown wound up being. 
 
"This is a tough way to end the season for us," head coach Mike Mucci said. "It was always going to be tough to beat them at their place but I thought we started with good energy and just didn't execute well enough in doubles. In singles, we fought back and put ourselves in winning positions on almost every court but didn't win as many first sets as we needed to in order to flip the momentum."
 
Stetson (17-7) started the match with a pair of wins in doubles play. They posted a 6-2 victory on court three before clinching the opening point with a 6-4 result in the second flight.
 
The Gamecocks (15-8) battled back early in singles action. ASUN Freshman of the Year Serafima Shastova raced out the gates to a 6-1, 6-0, blowout in the top pairing to tie the match. Following a pair of decisive losses in courts two and four, though, Jax State saw themselves at the doorstep of a season-ending heartbreaker. Although Zuzana Pavelekova and Dariana Prato were holding tight in the final two flights, Anna Syrova could not complete the comeback and suffered a two-set defeat in the no. 3 singles match to advance Stetson to the conference semifinals. 
 
"We felt we made a lot of progress as a program this year, but also left a few stones unturned and didn't win some matches where we really believed we were the better team," Mucci added. "Now all we can do is plan for the future and have a great offseason plan for each of the girls so that we can maximize what we do in year one in Conference-USA."
 
With Sunday's loss in Florida, Jacksonville State's incredible 2023 season wraps up. The Gamecocks made great strides this Spring, scoring their most wins in a season since 2013. In addition, their first-round tournament victory over North Alabama on Saturday serves as the program's first postseason win in a decade. Jax State is expected to return a great amount of production next season as the eldest player is Prato, a junior from Colombia. 
 
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 SU
4/16/2023 in DeLand, Fla.
SU 4, JSU 1
 
Singles Competition
 

1. Serafima Shastova (JSU) def. Nadejda Maslova (SU) 6-1, 6-0
2. Alanna DiFrancesco (SU) def. Romane Mosse (SU) 6-4, 6-0
3. Anais Gabriel (SU) def. Anna Syrova (JSU) 7-6 (7-1), 6-3
4. Cheri Darley (SU) def. Polina Ramenskaja (JSU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Dariana Prato (JSU) vs. Noa Cohen (SU) 4-6, 6-4, unfinished
6. Zuzana Pavelekova (JSU) vs. Magdalena Hedzrak (SU) 6-3, 5-6, unfinished

 
Doubles Competition
 

1. Romane Mosse/Serafima Shastova (JSU) vs. Magdalena Hedzrak/Nadejda Maslova (SU) 3-5, unfinished
2. Cheri Darley/Alanna DiFrancesco (SU) def. Zuzana Pavelekova/Anna Syrova (JSU) 6-4
3. Noa Cohen/Anais Gabriel (SU) def. Irene Artigas/Polina Ramenskaja (JSU) 6-2