Friday, April 17
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
2:30 PM ET/1:30 PM CT
Liberty University
4
vs
3
No. 2 seed FIU
Down Go the Defending Champs, No. 6 Liberty Knocks Off No. 2 FIU to Advance to CUSA Final
4/17/2026 8:12:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – No. 6 Liberty (15-9) continues its improbable run in the 2026 Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship, knocking off defending champions, No. 2 FIU (10-11) 4-3 in the semifinal round. Liberty will take on No. 4 seed Delaware for the CUSA title on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT.
In the most pivotal match of the afternoon, Maria Turchetto mounted an incredible comeback to secure the Lady Flames win. With the match tied at 3-3 after FIU roared back from a 3-1 deficit, the sophomore was facing a 5-2 deficit in the final set. With her teammates behind her, Turchetto grinded out three straight games to earn breathing room and force an eventual tiebreaker. In the tiebreak, she faced adversity again trailing 4-1. The Lady Flame tied the match at 4-4 and saw another deficit after a controversial line call. Turchetto buckled down with another three straight points for a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5) triumph.
Liberty secured the doubles point with critical victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Yoanna Radulova and Maria Turchetto delivered a strong performance at No. 1 doubles, defeating FIU's Katerina Mandelikova and Viktorie Hazmukova, 6-1. FIU claimed a win at No. 2 doubles, where Vittoria Baccino and Jelena Vico overcame Daniella O'Neill and Milana Tsulygina, 6-3. Anika Lemus and Candy Wai contributed to the doubles point by winning 6-2 at No. 3 doubles against Maria Araoz-Gosn and Aleksandra Simeva.
In singles play, FIU quickly tied the match as Katerina Mandelikova defeated Daniella O'Neill, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 1 singles. Liberty regained the lead with Milana Tsulygina's decisive 6-2, 6-1 victory over Maria Araoz-Gosn on court four. Celina Joseph extended Liberty's advantage with a 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Viktorie Hazmukova at No. 5 singles, bringing the dual score to 3-1.
FIU narrowed the margin with a win on court three, as Jelena Vico secured a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Yoanna Radulova. The Panthers then tied the overall score at 3-3 with Aleksandra Simeva's 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win at No. 6 singles over Candy Wai. Maria Turchetto then clinched Liberty's third victory at the CUSA Championships against Vittoria Baccino, completing the final dual score of 4-3 in favor of Liberty.
The Lady Flames top FIU for the first time in program history, avenging back-to-back losses to end their season to the Panthers in the past two seasons.
Liberty has its eyes set on its first-ever conference championship in its 26th season as a program. To win the title, the Lady Flames would need its fourth win in as many days, a feat no CUSA women's team has accomplished.
Lady Flames News & Notes
· The Lady Flames are collectively 79-46 (.632) in singles and are 38-24 (.612) in doubles matches.
· Liberty has won the doubles point in all three matches so far at the 2026 CUSA Championship. The Lady Flames No. 1 pair, Yoanna Radulova and Maria Turchetto (11-8), are 3-0.
· Tsulygina (17-4) continues to dominate with her second singles triumph at the event, also with two doubles victories.
· Joseph (16-5) also earned her second singles triumph of the tournament.
· Turchetto (11-7) earned her first singles win of the tournament after her first two matches went unfinished.
· The Lady Flames reach a conference tournament final for the first time since 2024, when they lost to No. 1 seed FIU.
· Liberty's CUSA final foe will be No. 4 seed Delaware. The Lady Flames previously swept Delaware 7-0 at home at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Courts on Jan. 23.
Up Next
No. 6 seed Liberty (15-9) will take on No. 4 seed Delaware in the 2026 Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship final at the MTSU Outdoor Courts on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
In the most pivotal match of the afternoon, Maria Turchetto mounted an incredible comeback to secure the Lady Flames win. With the match tied at 3-3 after FIU roared back from a 3-1 deficit, the sophomore was facing a 5-2 deficit in the final set. With her teammates behind her, Turchetto grinded out three straight games to earn breathing room and force an eventual tiebreaker. In the tiebreak, she faced adversity again trailing 4-1. The Lady Flame tied the match at 4-4 and saw another deficit after a controversial line call. Turchetto buckled down with another three straight points for a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5) triumph.
Liberty secured the doubles point with critical victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Yoanna Radulova and Maria Turchetto delivered a strong performance at No. 1 doubles, defeating FIU's Katerina Mandelikova and Viktorie Hazmukova, 6-1. FIU claimed a win at No. 2 doubles, where Vittoria Baccino and Jelena Vico overcame Daniella O'Neill and Milana Tsulygina, 6-3. Anika Lemus and Candy Wai contributed to the doubles point by winning 6-2 at No. 3 doubles against Maria Araoz-Gosn and Aleksandra Simeva.
In singles play, FIU quickly tied the match as Katerina Mandelikova defeated Daniella O'Neill, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 1 singles. Liberty regained the lead with Milana Tsulygina's decisive 6-2, 6-1 victory over Maria Araoz-Gosn on court four. Celina Joseph extended Liberty's advantage with a 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Viktorie Hazmukova at No. 5 singles, bringing the dual score to 3-1.
FIU narrowed the margin with a win on court three, as Jelena Vico secured a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Yoanna Radulova. The Panthers then tied the overall score at 3-3 with Aleksandra Simeva's 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win at No. 6 singles over Candy Wai. Maria Turchetto then clinched Liberty's third victory at the CUSA Championships against Vittoria Baccino, completing the final dual score of 4-3 in favor of Liberty.
The Lady Flames top FIU for the first time in program history, avenging back-to-back losses to end their season to the Panthers in the past two seasons.
Liberty has its eyes set on its first-ever conference championship in its 26th season as a program. To win the title, the Lady Flames would need its fourth win in as many days, a feat no CUSA women's team has accomplished.
| # | DOUBLES DRAWS |
| 1 | Yoanna Radulova and Maria Turchetto (LIBERTYW) def. 6-1 Katerina Mandelikova and Viktorie Hazmukova (FIU) |
| 2 | Vittoria Baccino and Jelena Vico (FIU) def. 6-3 Daniella O'Neill and Milana Tsulygina (LIBERTYW) |
| 3 | Anika Lemus and Candy Wai (LIBERTYW) def. 6-2 Maria Araoz-Gosn and Aleksandra Simeva (FIU) |
| # | SINGLES DRAWS | |||
| 1 | Katerina Mandelikova (FIU) def. Daniella O'Neill (LIBERTYW) | 6-0 | 6-2 | |
| 2 | Maria Turchetto (LIBERTYW) def. Vittoria Baccino (FIU) | 6-4 | 1-6 | 7-6 (7- )) |
| 3 | Jelena Vico (FIU) def. Yoanna Radulova (LIBERTYW) | 7-6 (7- 4) |
6-3 | |
| 4 | Milana Tsulygina (LIBERTYW) def. Maria Araoz-Gosn (FIU) | 6-2 | 6-1 | |
| ) | Celina Joseph (LIBERTYW) def. Viktorie Hazmukova (FIU) | 7-6 (7- )) |
6-1 | |
| 6 | Aleksandra Simeva (FIU) def. Candy Wai (LIBERTYW) | 6-2 | 2-6 | 6-3 |
Lady Flames News & Notes
· The Lady Flames are collectively 79-46 (.632) in singles and are 38-24 (.612) in doubles matches.
· Liberty has won the doubles point in all three matches so far at the 2026 CUSA Championship. The Lady Flames No. 1 pair, Yoanna Radulova and Maria Turchetto (11-8), are 3-0.
· Tsulygina (17-4) continues to dominate with her second singles triumph at the event, also with two doubles victories.
· Joseph (16-5) also earned her second singles triumph of the tournament.
· Turchetto (11-7) earned her first singles win of the tournament after her first two matches went unfinished.
· The Lady Flames reach a conference tournament final for the first time since 2024, when they lost to No. 1 seed FIU.
· Liberty's CUSA final foe will be No. 4 seed Delaware. The Lady Flames previously swept Delaware 7-0 at home at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Courts on Jan. 23.
Up Next
No. 6 seed Liberty (15-9) will take on No. 4 seed Delaware in the 2026 Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship final at the MTSU Outdoor Courts on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
02
Katerina Mandelikova / 0 [FIU]
66
#2 Singles Match
123
617
Vittoria Baccino / 0 [FIU]
466
#3 Singles Match
12
63
Jelena Vico / 0 [FIU]
76
#4 Singles Match
12
66
Maria Araoz-Gosn / 0 [FIU]
21
#5 Singles Match
12
76
Viktorie Hazmukova / 0 [FIU]
61
#6 Singles Match
123
263
Aleksandra Simeva / 0 [FIU]
626
Order of Finish:
1,4,5,3,6,2
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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