BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic women's tennis team reached the double-digit win plateau with a 5-2 win over Furman on Tuesday afternoon.
What makes the 10-win total even more special is that they have only played 11 matches total, falling just once in the first match of the season, a 4-3 decision to Northwestern, back on January 14. Just moments after the match ended, the weekly ITA national rankings were announced with Florida Atlantic moving into the poll at No. 63.
Leading the way for the Owls is freshman
Panna Bartha, who is 10-0 on the year. Bartha was the first to secure her singles match, doing so by a 6-2, 7-5 score after she and
Amber McGinnis factored into the Owls securing the doubles point with a 6-4 win on court #3. The FAU duo of
Carla Galmiche /
Lexi Silna captured their doubles court to give FAU two wins in the best 2-of-3 for the point. Play on court #1 was abandoned with the Owls up 6-5.
The 2-1 Owl lead was cut in half by Furman, who picked up court #4.
Victoria Gomez O'Hayon was a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 winner on court #2 and senior captain
Amber McGinnis won her match 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to clinch the victory for the Owls. Singles play continued with
Millie-Mae Matthews sewing up her court with a 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3) win for the match's 5-2 final.
Ricardo Gonzales, Florida Atlantic's Director of Tennis
"I am super pleased with our performance today. Our girls continue to look better physically, mentally, and tactically. I continue to see steady progress across the board which is a testament to the hard work our girls and coaching staff put in day in and day out. Today we beat a very tough Furman team who beat us last year. Our girls were ready to battle though and showed a lot of grit and toughness today."
Furman (2-9) at #63 Florida Atlantic Women's Tennis (10-1)
DATE: 03/05/2024 TIME: 10:00 AM ARENA: Kimberly V. Strauss Tennis Center SITE: Boca Raton, Fla.
Doubles
#1 Gomez O'Hayon, Victoria / Matthews, Millie-Mae [FAU] vs. Sara Snyder / Maeve Thornton [FUR] 6-5 UF
#2 Galmiche, Carla / Silna, Lexi [FAU] def. Macy Hitchcock / Ellie Schulson [FUR] 6-3
#3 Bartha, Panna / McGinnis [FAU] 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3
Singles
#1 Bartha, Panna [FAU] def. Sara Snyder [FUR] 6-2, 7-5
#2 Gomez O'Hayon, Victoria [FAU] def. Maeve Thornton [FUR] 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
#3 Ellie Schulson [FUR] def. Galmiche, Carla [FAU] 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
#4 Grace Thomas [FUR] def. Silna, Lexi [FAU] 7-5, 6-4
#5 Matthews, Millie-Mae [FAU] def. Macy Hitchcock [FUR] 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3)
#6 McGinnis, Amber [FAU] def. Marissa Pennings [FUR] 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 2, 6, 5, 3
The Owls will next play host to Pennsylvania at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Mar. 7.
To follow the team socially, visit @fauwtennis, or for the most up-to-date information go to
www.fausports.com.