Women's tennis team fares well at CL Varner Memorial Invitational

The Eastern Florida State College women's tennis team wrapped up a successful weekend at the CL Varner Memorial Invitational at Rollins College.

Freshman Ivett Castaneda won the first set 6-4 but twisted her ankle during the second set and lost the second set 6-4 to force a third set tiebreaker which Castaneda won 10-6 to win the Flight D title.

Sophomore Tsveti Trifonova took a while to get going as she went down 3-0 before holding serve and then getting a break to cut the lead to 3-2. It would remain close, but Rollins College's Kaitlynn Groves got a key break to win the first set 6-4.

Groves would open the second set strongly but Trifonova bounced back quick, winning the next four points to go up 4-1. Groves would not go away and cut the lead to 4-3 but Trifonova would hold to go up 5-3. Groves would tie things up 5-5 but Trifonova got the break to take a 6-5 lead after some long rallies at deuce. The sophomore from Bulgaria would then hold on for the 7-5 win.

In the tiebreaker, both players would hold leads but in the end, Groves held on for the 11-9 win for the Flight A title.

In Flight C, freshman Julie Martincova lost in straight sets to Rollins College's Valentina Serino, 6-0, 6-3.

Sophomore Chengeto Moyana lost to Varina Weindl for fifth place, bouncing back from a 6-3 loss in the first set to force a tiebreaker with a 6-2 win in the second set. But Weindl would prevail with the 10-4 win in the third set.

"I think the women did a great job, to have three in the finals of four flights was good," Eastern Florida State College women's tennis coach Bobby Cashman said.

The doubles team of Trifonova and Martincova started the day off with a win over Palm Beach Atlantic's Weindl and Yuliia Russu 8-6 to take fifth place in Flight A.

The women's tennis team will compete in the Juan Varon Classic in Daytona Beach on Oct. 25-27.