WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 29, 2026) – Playing in front of an energized, Alumni Weekend crowd, Rollins did not disappoint Sunday, cruising to a 4-1 victory. The convincing win seals the deal on a perfect week for the Tars and gives the women their third win against a top 25 this season, a program best in the past decade.
Rollins didn't waste any time launching off on the right foot. Each doubles tandem jumped out to an early lead to begin play. While North Georgia overcame the early deficit to take court one, the Tars propelled from the middle to knot things up. The combination that brought things to a stalemate was
Alyssa Novoa and
Amina Abdulloeva, who have been rock steady all season long. Today's 6-3 win was no different. Improving their record to 5-1 on the year, the sophomore standouts own the best record of any pair.
Beside them, the pendulum swung back-and-forth on court three in the early going. With things all square at three and the game even at 40 all,
Nisan Can and
Sydney Eckstein prevailed. From there, it was all home cooking. The duo on three sprinted to a 6-3 win, sending the crowd into a frenzy behind Eckstein's nifty placement
just over the net on match point.
Earning the doubles point provided a sense of relief that was not felt in Wednesday's thrilling victory. North Georgia temporarily tied the match at one point apiece from court six, but the Tars were in prime position elsewhere, making today's match brief. Under a clinch format, Rollins just needed three move wins in singles play.
Nisan Can quickly provided the first.
It's been quite the debut campaign for the first year Tar. Today, playing number two, Can achieved her fourteenth solo W. And sticking with her theme all season, it took only two sets for the Turkey native. All but one win this season have fallen under the straight set category for Can.
Across the way, on the West side courts,
Amina Abdulloeva was in the midst of a sweep as well. After a 6-3 result in the opening set, Wednesday night's hero did not need any extra time in this one. A dominant 6-1 score put Rollins one match away, and at that point, there was no escaping
Alyssa Novoa's smooth playing from the headliner.
In a matter of moments, Novoa clinched her match with a backhand winner lacking a return. Exuberant, the fifth ranked singles player in the nation burst out, "Anchor Down!" to the joy of her teammates and fans. In a flash, just over two hours to be exact, the Tars had officially equaled last year's win total.
Both
Milla Falster and
Lorin Tilipman were in tight contests when things were declared finished. Falster looked in prime position to send things into a winner take all third, while Tilipman had built momentum in the second set herself. She was tied at three games each.
Now standing at 12-4 on the year, another mid-week road conference bout awaits in the wings. The Embry-Riddle Eagles will take aim at the soaring Tars, in a series that Rollins narrowly owns: ten matches to nine. The next chapter of the series will get underway Wednesday from Daytona Beach at 3:30pm.
Today was a part of the inaugural ITA College Tennis Weekend. Stay tuned for content of today's match courtesy of our friends at ITA! Additionally, the support of the women's tennis alumni group shined all weekend long, capped off by this morning's performance. The sense of community was special for head coach
Tasi Purcell Batista, an alumna herself.
"It felt amazing to be back home today - it was especially an honor to play for all of our alumni that were here for Alumni Weekend. We are so grateful for all they do to support our program," coach Tasi reflected post-match.
"The team really dug into the energy from the start and it paid off when we got ahead early after doubles," she continued.
"It was also nice to share this match for the first ever ITA College Tennis weekend. We look forward to a conference match up next in a few days."
For latest scores, news and notes on the team, be sure to stay right here at
Rollinssports.com.
