March 7, 2011
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Freshman Josephine Haraldson survived a third-set tiebreaker at No. 5 singles to lift the UCF women's tennis team to a 4-3 victory over Miami (Ohio) Monday at the UCF Tennis Complex. The win boosted the Knights record to 5-5, while the RedHawks, who were coming off a 6-1 victory against No. 40 Marshall, dropped to 8-5 on the season.
"I'm so proud of Josephine being able to pull through in a situation like that," said head coach Stephanie Nickitas. "It should be a huge boost for not only her confidence, but our entire team's as well. These are the types of situations we want to be in when it comes down to the final set, and to know we can succeed is crucial."
Doubles helped pave the way to UCF's win as it secured victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions for the early 1-0 overall lead. Genevieve Lorbergs and Courtney Griffith toppled the 80th-ranked team of Megan Martzolf and Stephanie Danesis, 8-5, at the top spot, and Andrea Yacaman and Taylor Dubins got past Cara Wald and Anastasia Dracheva at No. 3, 8-5.
And the Knights took that momentum into singles where they claimed three wins at the No. 4, 5 and 6 slots. Surrendering just five games apiece, Jenna Doerfler posted a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Riekie Honiball at No. 4, and Allison Hodges swept Cara Wald in straight sets at No. 6, 6-2, 6-3.
That was when it came down to No. 5 as Haraldson split the first two sets with Nimisha Mohan. Serving for the match, Haraldson witnessed Mohan break at love to get the third set to 5-5. The UCF freshman broke again and had two match points on her racquet but could not convert and both players prepared for the tiebreaker. Even though those two match points were in the rear-view mirror, Haraldson settled down and opened up a 3-0 lead in the breaker. Eventually she was serving at 6-4 and Mohan sailed a backhand over the baseline to seal UCF's victory.
UCF's four-match homestand continues Wednesday when it hosts Florida State at 2 p.m.
UCF Women's Tennis vs. Miami (Ohio)March 7 - Orlando, Fla.UCF 4, Miami (Ohio) 3DoublesNo. 1 Genevieve Lorbergs/Courtney Griffith (UCF) def. No. 80 Megan Martzolf/Stephanie Danesis (MU) 8-5No. 2 Riekie Honiball/Jessica Parr (MU) def. Alexis Rodriguez/Josephine Haraldson (UCF) 8-7(4)No. 3 Andrea Yacaman/Taylor Dubins (UCF) def. Cara Wald/Anastasia Dracheva (MU) 8-5
SinglesNo. 1 Stephanie Danesis (MU) def. Alexis Rodriguez (UCF) 6-1, 7-5No. 2 Anastasia Dracheva (MU) def. Genevieve Lorbergs (UCF) 6-2, 7-6No. 3 Megan Martzolf (MU) def. Courtney Griffith (UCF) 6-3, 6-1No. 4 Jenna Doerfler (UCF) def. Riekie Honiball (MU) 6-3, 6-2No. 5 Josephine Haraldson (UCF) def. Nimisha Mohan (MU) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6No. 6 Allison Hodges (UCF) def. Cara Wald (MU) 6-2, 6-3 ="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>