ATHENS, Ga. – Senior Clara Tanielian and junior Natalia Perry posted singles wins for William & Mary, but South Florida squeaked out a nail biter on Saturday afternoon in the consolation match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
 
After South Florida (2-3) jumped out to a 2-0 lead, Tanielian downed Laura Pellicer Perello in straight sets at the No. 3 singles spot to pull the Tribe (1-3) closer. Perry rallied in the third set to pick up a 7-6 (5) tiebreaker win over Evelyne Tiron and cut the Bulls advantage to 3-2.
 
The match came down to the No. 5 and No. 6 singles positions. USF's Amelie Boy clinched the Bulls' victory with a win at the No. 5 spot.
 
How It Happened
- Perry and freshman Mila Saric continued their strong doubles play picking up a fourth-straight victory at No. 3. The duo gave W&M the early lead with a 6-2 win over Pellicer Perello and Janvhi Clark at the third spot.
- USF rallied with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 to claim in the opening point of the match. Nicole Dzenga and Vanja Klaric outlasted the Tribe duo of Tanielian and junior Rosie Cheng, 7-5, at the top spot to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.
- Ana Roman, who knocked off the No. 1 player in the country on Friday, increased South Florida's lead to 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Cheng at the top spot.
- Tanielian narrowed the gap to 2-1 with a straight-sets win over Pellicer Perello at the No. 3 post. She rolled to a 6-2 win in the first set and closed strong to take the second, 7-5. Tanielian improved to 6-3 on the year.
- Both the No. 2 and No. 4 spots went to three sets. Klaric and senior Lauren Goodman split the first two sets by matching 6-4 scores at No. 4, before the USF senior claimed the match and increased the Bulls lead to 3-1 with a 6-1 win in third set.
- Perry picked up a three-set win at No. 2 to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Tribe junior took the opening set, 7-5, before USF's Evelyne Tiron claimed the second by a 6-1 score. In the third set, Tiron jumped out to a 5-3 lead, before Perry rallied to force a tiebreaker. She won the breaker, 7-5, for her team-leading eighth win of the year.
- South Florida closed out the match with a victory at the No. 5 spot. Boy, who upset the No. 107-ranked player in the country on Friday, downed junior Charlotte Madson, 6-3, 6-4, to clinch the Bulls triumph.
- At No. 6, Saric and Dzenga split the opening two sets by matching 6-3 scores before their match was abandoned with the team result decided.
 
Up Next
The Tribe returns to the friendly confines of the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center when it hosts Big Ten foe Purdue on Sunday, Feb. 3. The match is slated for an 11 a.m. start time. Live video will be available for the contest via PlaySight at TribeAthletics.com/TennisLive, and live stats can be found on the women's tennis schedule page.
 
South Florida 4, William & Mary 2
Singles
No. 1 – Ana Roman (USF) def. Rosie Cheng (W&M) – 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 – Natalia Perry (W&M) def. Evelyne Tiron (USF) – 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (5)
No. 3 – Clara Tanielian (W&M) def. Laura Pellicer Perello (USF) – 6-2, 7-5
No. 4 – Vanja Klaric (USF) def. Lauren Goodman (W&M) – 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
No. 5 – Amelie Boy (USF) def. Charlotte Madson (W&M) – 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 – Mila Saric (W&M) vs. Nicole Dzenga (USF) – DNF, 6-3, 3-6
Finishing Order: 1, 3, 4, 2, 5*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Dzenga/Klaric (USF) def. Cheng/Tanielian (W&M) – 7-5
No. 2 – Boy/Roman (USF) def. Goodman/Madson (W&M) – 6-2
No. 3 – Perry/Saric (W&M) def. Pellicer Perello/Clark (USF) – 6-2
Finishing Order: 3, 2, 1*