Blue Demons Fly to Florida for Pair of Duels

MIAMI, FLA. / BOCA RATON, FLA. – DePaul women's tennis ventures to the Sunshine State to face Florida International on Wednesday, March 25, and Florida Atlantic on Friday, March 27. The FIU battle will take place at 10 a.m. CT at PayCargo Tennis Center in Miami, and the FAU bout is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT at Kimberly V. Strauss Tennis Center.

A SEASON OF STREAKS
Throughout the season, the Blue Demons have encountered alternating spells of consecutive wins and losses, building momentum in stretches then falling back upon defeats. To start the year, DePaul suffered two setbacks, then went 5-1 across their next six, followed by three losses, and has won their last five in succession. On the precipice of extending the streak to six and seven, the Blue Demons look to near a record under Coach Arce of eight consecutive wins, achieved in 2023.

FLORIDA FEVER
DePaul is 3-5 in matches played in Florida over the last 10 years, facing both FIU and FAU in that span. In early 2024, DePaul's last trip to Florida, the Blue Demons fell to FIU and FAU, 6-1 and 4-0, respectively. DePaul's largest victory in Florida was against St. Thomas, taking the match 7-0 back in 2017.

PANTHER PAMPHLET

Florida International is 5-7 on the season, and 4-5 at home. Coming into the year, FIU was riding a 35-home match winning streak, dating back to 2022.
Katarina Petrovic is in her 14th year as Panthers head coach, and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament for five consecutive campaigns with the team. During her tenure, Petrovic achieved a peak team rating of No. 31 nationally on March 21, 2023.
FIU is 3-1 against DePaul since 1995. The most recent result, a 6-1 win for the Panthers, came on January 15, 2024, in Miami.
No. 1 court mainstay Katerina Mandelikova has amassed a 7-5 record in duals singles, her best win coming against No. 25 ranked UCF's Daryna Shoshyna, 6-0, 7-5.
Mandelikova and Viktorie Hazmukova comprise FIU's leading doubles squad in 2026, with a 7-3 tally on court No. 1.

OWL OPERATIONS

Florida Atlantic is 5-8 on the year, and 3-3 at home. The Owls had won their last 11 home matches entering the year.
FAU is coached by Ricardo Gonzalez, in his fifth season at the helm. His best finish was a 17-2 result in 2025, reaching the AAC semifinals.
The Owls are 2-4 against DePaul since 1993, prevailing 4-0 at home in their last result against the Blue Demons in 2024.
Katrin Pavkova leads FAU with a 7-4 dual-singles record, her best win coming against No. 27 Yale's Shyla Aggarwal, 6-4, 6-2 on court No. 4.
Pavkova and Panna Bartha have paced the Owls' doubles pairings in wins, also with a 7-4 tally on the year.

UP NEXT
DePaul returns to Chicago, hosting Xavier at XS Tennis Village on April 4 for a Saturday morning skirmish.

DePaul University Athletics

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