Results
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – In a decisive singles match, freshman
Emily Fridrik came through in the clutch as the Eckerd College women's tennis team handed the University of Mary (N.D.) a 5-4 defeat on Wednesday afternoon at the Turley Athletic Complex.
With the Tritons (3-5, 0-4 SSC) and Marauders (5-3, 4-1 NSIC) knotted at a 4-4 tie, Fridrik delivered in three-set comeback fashion to seal the dual against Catherine Gibbens in the No. 3 singles battle.
Fridrik had her older sister Erika and parents, who made their way from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the Sunshine State, cheering in her corner along with teammates as the match came down to the wire.
She also claimed her third singles victory in the last four matches combined against Hanover (Ind.) College, Warner University and now Mary, after rallying from a first-set setback without knowing the team score.
"We had a great win today and the girls battled all day to have it come down to Emily's match," praised EC interim head coach
Ben Maxwell. "I am proud of her focus and effort in the third set. Having it come down to the match for the win comes with added pressure and she handled it like a seasoned veteran."
Eckerd won two of three doubles contests as the pairings of
Carson Trapp/
Gipson Hawn and
Katie Benn/
Amy Naula gave the Tritons an early lead heading into singles competition.
In the No. 3 doubles slot, Naula and Benn teamed up for their third doubles victory against Anastasia Bruss and Meredith Holt.
Naula and Benn both continued to add points to the team totals with their No. 4 and No. 5 straight-set singles victories against both respective opponents.
Emily Fridrik fell in the tightly-contested first set, but stormed back to take the second set with a 6-3 score and didn't allow her opponent Holt to win a game in a clean third frame.
Emily Fridrik, Benn and Naula, all have three wins in singles action this spring to tie for the team lead.
Eckerd will prepare for another Sunshine State Conference battle, this time versus Florida Tech in Melbourne on Saturday. The Tritons and Panthers will get started at 1 p.m.
