GAINESVILLE, Fla. (May 13, 2007) ?  The 32nd-ranked University of South Florida women's tennis team saw its 2006-07 campaign come to an end with a 4-1 loss to No. 4 Florida Sunday afternoon in the 2007 NCAA Division I Championships Second Round.

The Bulls advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships for the second-consecutive year after defeating No. 27 FIU 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Complex.

With Florida leading 3-0 following doubles play and a pair of wins at No. 4 and No. 6 singles, USF got on the board thanks to a hard-fought victory by junior Courtney Vernon.  The Solon, Ohio, native, ranked 61st in the nation, captured the first set 6-4 over No. 39 Megan Alexander before hanging on for a 7-6 (14-12) decision in set two.

Vernon's victory over the 39th-ranked Alexander improved her record to 11-1 this season versus nationally ranked opponents.  Alexander is the highest-ranked opponent Vernon has defeated in 2006-07.

Unfortunately for USF, Vernon's victory was not enough to completely turn the momentum.  UF's Anastasia Revzina, ranked 92nd in the country, downed freshman Jessica Sweeting 6-2, 7-6 (2) at No. 3 singles to clinch the Gator win.

The Gators opened the match by capturing the valuable doubles point with victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions.  USF's Shadisha Robinson and Vernon posted an 8-5 win at the No. 2 spot, rebounding from a loss in the opening round on Saturday. 

Robinson will compete in the 2007 Women's Tennis Singles Championships May 23-28 in Athens, Georgia.  Vernon hopes to be added to the bracket in the coming weeks.