WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – University of South Alabama junior Alexandria Stiteler fell in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championship Wednesday afternoon at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.

The Bradenton, Fla. native, ranked No. 110 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, lost 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-2 to No. 52 Josie Kuhlman of Florida.

THE MATCH
-Stiteler jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set after breaking Kuhlman in game three
-With Kuhlman serving down 5-2, Stiteler had a set point, but Kuhlman was able to recover and stay alive
-Kuhlman broke Stiteler in the next game to get back on serve, and Kuhlman held to even the set at 5-5
-Stiteler went up 6-5 and had another set point in the next game on Kuhlman's serve, but was unable to close the deal and eventually lost the set in a tiebreaker
-Set two was marked by five straight broken service games; Stiteler got the last one to take a 4-3 lead, held serve to go up 5-3, and eventually closed out the set 6-4
-Stiteler was broken twice in the first four games of the third set, and trailed 4-1 after a Kuhlman service game
-The two competitors stayed on serve the next two games, but Kuhlman broke Stiteler to clinch the match

NOTES
-Stiteler ends the season with a 21-8 overall record
-Stiteler is the school's record holder in career win percentage at No. 1 (.803) and is second in career wins at the top flight (49)
-She is the first Jaguar to make multiple appearances in the NCAA Tournament since Viktoria Stoklasova in 2003

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KEYSER
Opening statement: "That was a great effort by Alex against a very experienced, high-quality player. With hindsight, it would have been great if she could've capitalized on five set points in the first set, but credit to her opponent for working through a tight spot and winning it."

On Stiteler's future: "All in all, once again it was a great year for Alex and hopefully she will take from this tournament that she belongs with the best. She needs to use this as a springboard to come back in her senior year and help the team win the conference, and from an individual standpoint, potentially become the best player who has ever played in the Sun Belt."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Baseline Club, the tennis-specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Baseline Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's and women's tennis programs. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/baselineclub

—USA—