Singles Play Propels Spartans Over #28 Saint Leo

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa (1-4) tennis team recovered from a 2-1 deficit following doubles play to overtake No. 28 Saint Leo University (1-6) by a 6-3 score. The matchup of Sunshine State Conference teams went down as a non-conference match.

In doubles, UT's lone triumph came from the freshmen duo of Molly Welsh and Nikol Williams. The Texas pair won at the number two spot by a score of 9-7. Doubles play was tightly contested as SLU took number one by an 8-5 score and number three at 9-7.

Senior Kourtney Stark displayed her veteran composure as she rallied from a 6-3 first set loss to win the number one singles match 6-1 and 7-6 (7-2) in the final two sets.

Welsh, Megan Mancini, Ally Wooten and Briana Ryan also won their singles matches for Tampa, coming from the three through six spots respectively. After a 6-2 first set loss, Ryan won the deciding sets 6-3 and 6-2 for the Spartans.

UT returns to the court on Tues., Feb. 23 at home against Eckerd College. The match is slated for 3 p.m. at the UT Tennis Complex.

Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers eScores, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.