Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Owls Record Their First Win of 2026
1/17/2026 7:44:00 PM | Women's Tennis
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic women's tennis team responded in match two of the 2026 season with a 4-0 shutout win over Georgia Southern on Saturday afternoon.
The match was the second in as many days, both played on the North Florida campus. FAU (1-1) will travel to Houston for a Monday, Jan. 19 non-conference contest at fellow American Conference member Rice. That match is scheduled for noon.
THE BEGINNING
Florida Atlantic returned to the courts on Saturday and set the tone immediately with a victory on the top court by the duo of Malwina Rowkinska and Lara Smejkal. The duo moved to 2-0 on the young season and have not surrendered a game through the first two matches. Panna Bartha and Katrin Pavkova quickly followed, securing the doubles point for the Owls with a 6-1 victory on court #2.
THE MIDDLE/THE END
Needing just three points to secure the match, the FAU began singles play. Smejkal captured court #2 6-0, 6-2, Bartha won court #3 6-2, 6-2 and freshman Alexia Patru earned her second win in as many days with a 6-3, 6-3 court #6 win.
QUOTABLE
"Today, the girls showed what they're made of," said Assistant Coach Maria Alvarez. "It's never easy to play a match the day after a loss, and they did an incredible job today – playing together with a lot of grit and determination from the doubles point and carrying that same energy into singles. I'm proud of the way they competed."
THE RESULTS
Florida Atlantic vs. Georgia Southern at North Florida | at Jacksonville, Fla. | (UNF Tennis Complex)
Doubles
#1 Malwina Rowinska/ Lara Smejkal (FAU) def. Franzi Heinemann / Evelyn Warkentin (Georgia Southern) 6-0
#2 Panna Bartha / Katrin Pavkova (FAU) def. Angelina Mihajlovic / Lisen Rinman (Georgia Southern) 6-1
#3 Nanaka Kijima / Mackenzie Leopold (Georgia Southern) vs. Malika Amirgaliyeva / Alexia Patru (FAU) 3-3
Order Of Finish: 1, 2
Singles
#1 Malwina Rowinska (FAU) def. Evelyn Warkentin (Georgia Southern) 7-6, 2-4 UF
#2 Lara Mejkal (FAU) def. Franzi Heinemann (Georgia Southern) 6-0, 6-3
#3 Panna Bartha (FAU) def. Angelina Mihajlovic (Georgia Southern) 6-2, 6-2
#4 Mackenzie Leopold (Georgia Southern) vs. Malika Amirgaliyeva (FAU) 2-6, 6-2, 0-1 UF
#5 Katrin Pavkova (FAU) vs. Nanaka Kijima (Georgia Southern) 7-6, 2-1 UF
#6 Alexia Patru (FAU) def. Amelie Rosadoro (Georgia Southern) 6-3, 6-3
Order Of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 6
UPCOMING MATCHES
THIS WEEK
FAU will travel to Houston, where the Owls will play a non-conference match against fellow American Conference member Rice.
The match will be the sixth between the two teams, with the Florida Atlantic Owls looking for their first win.
COMPLETE SCHEDULE
For a complete schedule, click HERE.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
Follow the Owls on X and Instagram @FAUWTennis.
The match was the second in as many days, both played on the North Florida campus. FAU (1-1) will travel to Houston for a Monday, Jan. 19 non-conference contest at fellow American Conference member Rice. That match is scheduled for noon.
THE BEGINNING
Florida Atlantic returned to the courts on Saturday and set the tone immediately with a victory on the top court by the duo of Malwina Rowkinska and Lara Smejkal. The duo moved to 2-0 on the young season and have not surrendered a game through the first two matches. Panna Bartha and Katrin Pavkova quickly followed, securing the doubles point for the Owls with a 6-1 victory on court #2.
THE MIDDLE/THE END
Needing just three points to secure the match, the FAU began singles play. Smejkal captured court #2 6-0, 6-2, Bartha won court #3 6-2, 6-2 and freshman Alexia Patru earned her second win in as many days with a 6-3, 6-3 court #6 win.
QUOTABLE
"Today, the girls showed what they're made of," said Assistant Coach Maria Alvarez. "It's never easy to play a match the day after a loss, and they did an incredible job today – playing together with a lot of grit and determination from the doubles point and carrying that same energy into singles. I'm proud of the way they competed."
THE RESULTS
Florida Atlantic vs. Georgia Southern at North Florida | at Jacksonville, Fla. | (UNF Tennis Complex)
Doubles
#1 Malwina Rowinska/ Lara Smejkal (FAU) def. Franzi Heinemann / Evelyn Warkentin (Georgia Southern) 6-0
#2 Panna Bartha / Katrin Pavkova (FAU) def. Angelina Mihajlovic / Lisen Rinman (Georgia Southern) 6-1
#3 Nanaka Kijima / Mackenzie Leopold (Georgia Southern) vs. Malika Amirgaliyeva / Alexia Patru (FAU) 3-3
Order Of Finish: 1, 2
Singles
#1 Malwina Rowinska (FAU) def. Evelyn Warkentin (Georgia Southern) 7-6, 2-4 UF
#2 Lara Mejkal (FAU) def. Franzi Heinemann (Georgia Southern) 6-0, 6-3
#3 Panna Bartha (FAU) def. Angelina Mihajlovic (Georgia Southern) 6-2, 6-2
#4 Mackenzie Leopold (Georgia Southern) vs. Malika Amirgaliyeva (FAU) 2-6, 6-2, 0-1 UF
#5 Katrin Pavkova (FAU) vs. Nanaka Kijima (Georgia Southern) 7-6, 2-1 UF
#6 Alexia Patru (FAU) def. Amelie Rosadoro (Georgia Southern) 6-3, 6-3
Order Of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 6
UPCOMING MATCHES
THIS WEEK
FAU will travel to Houston, where the Owls will play a non-conference match against fellow American Conference member Rice.
| Florida Atlantic vs. Georgia Southern (George R Brown Tennis Center) | ||
| Florida Atlantic at Rice | Houston, Texas | Monday, Jan. 19 | 11 a.m. | |
| Match Links | Live Stats and Video | |
| Florida Atlantic Links | News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | |
| Rice Links | News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | |
The match will be the sixth between the two teams, with the Florida Atlantic Owls looking for their first win.
COMPLETE SCHEDULE
For a complete schedule, click HERE.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
Follow the Owls on X and Instagram @FAUWTennis.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2
Order of Finish:
1,2,3,6
Players Mentioned
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