TAMPA (March 13, 2015) – After exciting back-and-forth action with lead changes and two ties, USF fell short in a 4-3 decision to Furman that all came down to a tie-break on the final court.

USF (2-9) jumped on the board early, earning the doubles point over Furman (3-9) as the Hailey Grillo/Juliana Cardoso duo finished first with the 6-4 decision. The pair of Olaya Garrido-Rivas/Jessica Cortes Chaves clinched the doubles point with the same score.

Cardoso extended the margin to a 2-0 lead over Furman in her singles' rout, 6-1, 6-0. The Paladins fought back, evening up the score after wins on courts two and five. Olga Martinez came out victorious in consecutive 6-4 sets, but Furman's Ashley Speaks answered back with a win on court one, tying up the score for a second time.

Coming down to a tie-break in set two on court three, Furman clinched the match as Cortes-Chaves fell, 6-2, 7-6.

The Bulls return to the court Sunday, March 15, as they take on Illinois at 9 a.m.

Furman 4, USF 3

Doubles

Garrido-Rivas/Cortes Chaves (USF) def. Speaks/Moreno (Furman), 6-4
Bessonova/Martinez (USF) vs. Martin/Gil (Furman), DNF
Grillo/Cardoso (USF) def. Bryde/van Lochem (Furman), 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 1

Singles

Ashley Speaks (Furman) def. Olaya Garrido-Rivas (USF), 6-4, 6-4
Alex Moreno (Furman) def. Vera Bessonova (USF), 6-2, 6-2
Blair Martin (Furman) def. Jessica Cortes Chaves (USF), 6-2, 7-6 (2)
Olga Martinez (USF) def. Karlee Bryde (Furman), 6-4, 6-4
Harper Caswell (Furman) def. Hailey Grillo (USF), 7-5, 6-4
Juliana Cardoso (USF) def. Alejandra Gil (Furman), 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 2, 5, 4, 1, 3*

The USF women's tennis team is the reigning American Athletic Conference Champion. The Bulls have 12 conference championships and have advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times in the last five years and 11 times in program history. 

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