ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The No. 11 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's tennis team dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to No. 16 Flagler in Peach Belt Conference play on Friday.

The Nighthawks fell behind early after Flagler secured the doubles point, taking two of three matches. At No. 2 doubles, Emily Bush and Linn Goerdes earned a 6-2 victory for North Georgia, but losses at No. 1 and No. 3 allowed the Saints to claim the opening point.

North Georgia battled back in singles play, winning three matches to keep the contest tight. Sofia Giraldo posted a straight-sets win at No. 3, 6-3, 6-2, while Victoria Niox-Chateau delivered a hard-fought victory at No. 5, rallying for a 7-5, 5-7, 10-8 win in the match tiebreaker. Bush also added a point at No. 6 with a 7-5, 6-3 decision.

Despite the effort, the Nighthawks came up just short as Flagler secured wins at Nos. 1, 2 and 4 singles to clinch the team victory. Anatasiia Opolska dropped a three-set battle at the top spot, falling 7-5, 2-6, 0-6, while Olesya Stokusova was defeated in straight sets at No. 2. Goerdes pushed her No. 4 match to three sets but ultimately fell 6-0, 4-6, 3-6.

North Georgia (11-4, 1-1 PBC) returns to action March 29 in a nonconference matchup against No. 13 Rollins.