Athens, G.A.– The No. 26 Florida State women’s tennis team (17-10) defeated No. 35 Illinois (17-9) 4-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Dan Magill Tennis Center on Friday.
“We had great pose to able to battle back and fight under pressure,” head coach Jennifer Hyde said. “I’m just so proud of the ladies and excited to continue the season.”
The Seminoles kicked off the match with Vic Allen and Ellie Schoppe winning 6-1 at No. 1 doubles. Illinois responded with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to secure the doubles point and take an early 1-0 lead.
Florida State’s Allen won 6-4, 6-0 against the 94th-ranked Ashley Yeah at No. 1 singles to tie the match 1-1. Schoppe followed with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles to give the Seminoles a 2-1 lead.
Illinois quickly tied the match back up to 2-2 with a win at No. 4 singles and won both tiebreakers in the first sets at No. 2 and No. 6 singles.
Freshman Millie Bissett battled back after dropping the second set and won 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 at No. 5 singles to give the Noles a 3-2 lead.
Alice Amendola was able to secure the team victory with a 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 6 singles. Anna Arkadianou was tied 5-5 in her third set when the match was clinched.
Florida State advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive appearance and will face No. 3 Georgia on Saturday at 4 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at Seminoles.com.
#26 Florida State 4, #35 Illinois 2
Singles Competition
1. #90 Vic Allen (FSU) def. #94 Ashley Yeah (ILL) 6-4, 6-0
2. #64 Anna Arkadianou (FSU) vs. Megan Heuser (ILL) 6-7 (1), 6-3, 5-5 (unfinished)
3. #124 Ellie Schoppe (FSU) vs. Josie Frazier (ILL) 6-4, 6-3
4. Kasia Treiber (ILL) def. Olympe Lancelot (FSU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Millie Bissett (FSU) vs. Violeta Martinez (ILL) 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
6. Kida Ferrari (ILL) def. Alice Amendola (FSU) 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-4
Doubles Competition
1. Vic Allen/Ellie Schoppe (FSU) vs. Megan Heuser/Emily Casati (ILL) 6-1
2. Joise Frazier/Ashley Yeah (ILL) def. #55 Anna Arkadianou/Millie Bissett (FSU) 6-4
3. Violeta Martinez/Kida Ferrari (ILL) def. Olympe Lancelot/Kianah Motosono (FSU) 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,3,4,5,6)
For more information on the Florida State women’s tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at FSUWTennis (IG) and @FSU_WTennis