TAMPA (February 9, 2024) – The University of South Florida Bulls women's tennis team (3-3) had its three-match home winning streak snapped on Friday afternoon to the FAU Owls (5-1) in a match that went down to the final court.

"A tough one today against a really good FAU team," said head coach Cristina Moros. "While I thought we played a better doubles point today, we still need to do much better in this area as it is a lot to ask with the teams we play to have to always start a point down heading to singles. Our bottom of the lineup singles was fantastic. We competed well on courts one and two, but FAU's players are very tough in those spots and just got the better of us today. This team has shown it loves to battle, so we are looking forward to another shot to compete on Sunday."

South Florida dropped the doubles points in a pair of close matches that were decided by 6-4 scores in favor of FAU.

The Bulls fell behind on the team scoreboard early in singles play, 2-0, but wins on Court 4 and Court 6 evened the score. Marta Falceto Font and Ireland Simme each won in straight sets on their respective courts.

The Owls pulled back in front, 3-2, before Gargi Pawar, Wednesday's hero in the victorious final court, pulled out another thrilling win to knot the team score at 3-3 on Friday. Pawar outlasted her opponent in a first set tiebreaker and went on to win in straight sets.

FAU went on to record the final point and secure the victory on Court 2 that also required a tiebreaker in the opening set.

Up Next
The Bulls conclude their four-match homestand on Sunday, February 11 against North Texas at 11 a.m. That match will be aired live on ESPN+.

About Women's Tennis
Be sure to follow USF women's tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.

Head coach Cristina Moros, a former collegiate national champion and four-time All-American, is in her ninth year at the helm entering the 2023-24 season. She was named the 2017 AAC Coach of the Year after leading the Bulls to the conference championship that season.
 
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