BOX SCORE Flash Points:

• SFU Women's Tennis dropped a 5-2 decision against Detroit on Saturday in Monroeville.
• The Red Flash's Miller and Seigford won a doubles match at No. 2 and Miller and Tamarkin earned singles wins.
• Saint Francis is 1-7 this Spring and will battle Youngstown State next Friday at The Club Sport and Health.

MONROEVILLE, Pa. – The Saint Francis Women's Tennis team fell 5-2 against Detroit Mercy on Saturday at The Club Sport and Health in Monroeville.  The Red Flash won a doubles match and two singles matches.  SFU dropped to 1-7 this season, while the Titans improved to 3-5 this season. 
 
In the match at No. 2 doubles, junior Stephanie Miller (Washington, D.C./St. John's College High School) and sophomore Lucia Seigford (Madrid, Spain/Mirasur) combined against Detroit's Sophie Torcello and Pauline Van Herck.  The Red Flash duo earned a 6-3 win to improve to 2-1 this Spring.
 
At No. 1 doubles, sophomore Laura Gutierrez (Bogota, Colombia/Cibercolegio UCN) and freshman Nastasia Tamarkin (Washington, D.C./School Without Walls) paired up against the Titans' Chelsea and Jasmine Apawti.  The SFU pair dropped a 6-3 decision.
 
"We were slightly up and down in doubles today," said Head Coach Rob Castille. "We couldn't string together enough points and it cost us the point."
 
Detroit won the match at No. 3 doubles by default due to no SFU player available.
 
Miller took on Detroit's Van Herck at No. 4 singles.  The Red Flash junior won a tough opening set, 7-6(4), but Van Herck battled to win the next set, 7-6(6).  In an extremely tight super-tiebreaker set, Miller came out on top, 13-11, to move to 4-3 this Spring.
 
Tamarkin met the Titans' Ksenia Providokhina at No. 5 singles.  The SFU rookie claimed the first set, 6-4.  Tamarkin clinched a straight-set victory with a 6-1 win in the second set.  She is now 4-3 in dual matches.
 
In the match at No. 1 singles, Seigford faced UDM's Iris Thioux.  The Saint Francis sophomore dropped the first set, 6-3, but responded by winning the next set, 6-1.  In the deciding set, Thioux won 6-1.
 
At No. 2, Gutierrez competed against Jasmine Apawti.  The SFU sophomore claimed the opening set, 6-3, but fell 6-4 in the second set.  In a tough final set, Apawti came out on top, 7-5. 
 
Junior Raksha Bode (Reunion, Fla./Florida Virtual School) battled Detroit's Torcello at No. 3.  The Red Flash junior took the first set, 6-4, but dropped a 7-5 second set.  In the final set, Bode fell 6-3.
 
"Once again, I was pleased with how we competed in singles," said Castille. "We put ourselves in positions to win on every court against a solid Detroit Mercy team. If we can keep competing at this intensity, good things are bound to happen the rest of the season."
 
The Titans won the match at No. 6 singles by default due to no SFU player available.
 
The Red Flash wraps up its five-match homestand next weekend.  Saint Francis faces Youngstown State on Friday, February 23 at 2 p.m. at The Club Sport and Health. 
 
Doubles:
1. Apawti/Apawti(UDM) def. Gutierrez/Tamarkin(SFU), 6-3.
2. Miller/Seigford(SFU) def. Torcello/Van Herck(UDM), 6-3.
3. Providokhina/Thioux(UDM) wins by default (No SFU Player)
Order of Finish: 3,1,2
 
Singles:
1. Thioux(UDM) def. Seigford(SFU), 6-3, 1-6, 6-1.
2. J. Apawti(UDM) def. Gutierrez(SFU), 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
3. Torcello(UDM) def. Bode(SFU), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
4. Miller(SFU) def. Van Herck(UDM), 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 1-0(11).
5. Tamarkin(SFU) def. Providokhina(UDM), 6-4, 6-1.
6. Mitrakovic(UDM) wins by default (No SFU Player)
Order of Finish: 6,1,3,2,5,4