HOUSTON — After a nearly four-hour match that featured windy conditions, the Mean Green tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament with a come from behind 4-3 victory over the higher seeded Florida International Panthers on Friday in Houston.

North Texas trailed 3-1 and won the final three singles matches to reach the semifinal round of a conference tournament for the eighth time in the last 10 years. The Mean Green's youngest player, Nidhi Surapaneni, clinched the win for UNT as every player and fan was focused on her court and the overall match scored tied at three.

"I'm so happy that our team's dream is still alive," Surapaneni said. "I'm so happy for the seniors. I didn't want it to end this way for them and that's what kept pushing me and fighting until the last point."

After a tough doubles competition where UNT's top team fell 6-0 for the first time in their four years, five of the six singles matches went into a third-set. North Texas won the first of four of the singles matches to recapture some of the momentum.after the doubles point loss but couldn't put the defending champion Panthers away in the second set. Only senior Maria Kononova's singles match was completed in straight sets as the senior won convincingly at the No. 1 spot in the lineup to tie the overall score at one a piece.

However, things began to go south for UNT when losses at No. 3 and No. 4 put the Mean Green behind the eight ball trailing 3-1 and FIU only needing to win one of the final three singles matches that they pushed to the third set.

Despite dropping the second set, senior Tamuna Kutubidze never looked overmatched and pushed through her long dragged out match to give North Texas another point. As Kutubidze closed out her opponent, on the complete other side of the facility, junior Ivana Babic was building up steam and the tides seemed to be turning. As Babic steady pace picked up, right next to her was Surapaneni feeding off the confidence of Babic and getting louder and more fierce with each point she won.

"I felt like I had played well but just lost a few points here and there," Surapaneni said. "But I was very confident in myself and my teammates that we would get it done."

After Babic cruised to a third set win to tie the match at three, Surapaeni held a 5-2 lead in the third set as the crowd began to hover around her court.

When the final point was won and the comeback was completed, Surapaneni's teammates ran to her and give her a hug.

The Mean Green will face the No. 1 seed Old Dominion Monarchs in the semifinals at Noon CT on Saturday. 

Singles competition
1. Maria Kononova (UNT) def. Veksler,Maryna (FIU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Tamuna Kutubidze (UNT) def. Umarova,Kamila (FIU) 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4
3. Akbas,Basak (FIU) def. Minying Liang (UNT) 2-6, 6-0, 6-0
4. Bozinovic,Sandra (FIU) def. Alexandra Heczey (UNT) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
5. Nidhi Surapaneni (UNT) def. Bakaite,Paulina (FIU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (3-7), 6-3
6. Ivana Babic (UNT) def. Turrillo,Maria (FIU) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. #44 Akbas,Basak/Umarova,Kamila (FIU) def. Maria Kononova/Tamuna Kutubidze (UNT) 6-0
2. Bozinovic,Sandra/Turrillo,Maria (FIU) def. Ivana Babic/Alexandra Heczey (UNT) 6-1
3. Veksler,Maryna/Bakaite,Paulina (FIU) vs. Minying Liang/Nidhi Surapaneni (UNT) 5-2, unfinished