LAKELAND, Fla. – It was another milestone victory for Warner University women's tennis team on Friday as they defeated Southeastern University 5-4 at the Beerman Tennis Center. The win is the first ranked win in school history for the Lady Royals as they defeated the Fire who are ranked 23rd in the latest NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 poll.
The win evens the Lady Royals' record at 3-3 and improves their Sun Conference record to 3-1. Currently the Lady Royals have the most wins in league play amongst member institutions.
The loss drops the Fire to 1-2 overall and in conference play.
The Lady Royals led 2-1 following the doubles round with wins at the first and third positions. Warner's top pairing, Nhatalia Ocampo and Monique Frandji, were victorious 8-4 over Southeastern's Sadia Mayou and Alexis Quinn. Claudia Sequera and Caitlyn Ryan also won by an 8-4 score over Mason Bellar and Stephanie Dodd.
Fernanda Correa and Paula Garcia lost their No. 2 doubles match 8-6 to Wendy Reade and Madeline Wills.
Ocampo and Frandji lost their singles matches at the top two positions for the Lady Royals. Ocampo was defeated 6-3, 6-2 and Frandji lost 6-2, 7-5.
The Lady Royals picked up wins at No. 3 and No. 6 singles by Correa (6-3, 6-3) and Cindy Prieto (7-5, 6-4).
Claudia Sequera lost her No. 4 singles match, 6-1, 6-0 to even the match at 4-4. With one match remaining, Caitlyn Ryan dropped the first set to Southeastern's Mason Bellar 6-2 but came back to win sets two and three 6-3, 6-4 clinching the match victory for the Lady Royals.
"It was a big win for the team today as the girls stepped up and beat their first ranked opponent," said head coach Jose Martinez after the match. "I'm very proud of the way the played, it was truly a team victory."
The ranked win is another first for the Lady Royals this season after they already won their first-ever match in program history along with their first-ever conference match as well.
On Saturday, March 1, the Lady Royals travel with the men's team across the state to St. Petersburg, Fla. where they will face NCAA-II Eckerd College. The match will start at 11 a.m. at the Dick Bullard Courts.