Florida Gators
NORTH CAROLINA
Wednesday, March 14, 2001 | Women's Tennis
The No. 4 University of Florida women's tennis team (8-0, 4-0 SEC) posted its second consecutive shut-out win over an Atlantic Coast Conference team, defeating No. 16 North Carolina (8-2, 0-0 ACC) 7-0 on a cool Tuesday evening at the Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
"I think the last two matches were a step up in the level of play. It was important for us to have a good performance to let us know where we stood and how good we were," UF Head Coach Andy Brandi said. "Last night (vs. Wake Forest), I thought we played better. Tonight, we managed to put ourselves in difficult positions that should not have been there. However, I am pleased with their performance. They competed well - it is all about the battle. They didn't fold under the circumstances."
Florida senior Stephanie Hazlett, who won her match Monday vs. Wake Forest in three sets, didn't waste any time in her second match of the week. She posted the Gators' first singles win in just 51 minutes, defeating Lee Bairos 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 4 position. Junior Jessica Lehnhoff turned in a 6-0, 6-2 win at the No. 2 position over Julie Rotondi. The next win came at the No. 5 position, when sophomore Julia Scaringe handed Kendrick Bunn a 6-2, 6-3 loss. Freshman Annika Bengtsson turned in a 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory over UNC's No. 6 player Kristin Koenig in just under two hours. Florida's other freshman, Lindsay Dawaf, posted a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kate Pinchbeck at the No. 3 spot. Gator senior Whitney Laiho claimed a 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-2 victory over UNC's No. 1 player Marlene Mejia.
Florida took the doubles point after sweeping the three matches. Bengtsson and Dawaf claimed their second consecutive 8-0 win, defeating Erin Niebling and Courtney Zalinski at the No. 3 position. Scaringe and Hazlett took an 8-3 win over Mejia and Rotondi at the No. 2 spot. Laiho and Lehnhoff claimed a hard-fought 9-8 (4) win over UNC's No. 1 team of Bunn and Pinchbeck.
The Gators return to action on Thursday, March 15 when they play host to No. 24 Illinois. Match time is set for 5 p.m. at the Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
| No. 4 Florida (8-0, 4-0 SEC) 7, No. 16 North Carolina (8-2, 0-0 ACC) 0 |
| March 13, 2001 |
| Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex |
| Gainesville, Fla. |
Singles:
| No. 1 | Whitney Laiho (UF) def. Marlene Mejia (UNC) 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-2 |
| No. 2 | Jessica Lehnhoff (UF) def. Julie Rotondi (UNC) 6-0, 6-2 |
| No. 3 | Lindsay Dawaf (UF) def. Kate Pinchbeck (UNC) 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 |
| No. 4 | Stephanie Hazlett (UF) def. Lee Bairos (UNC) 6-0, 6-1 |
| No. 5 | Julia Scaringe (UF) def. Kendrick Bunn (UNC) 6-2, 6-3 |
| No. 6 | Annika Bengtsson (UF) def. Kristin Koenig (UNC) 6-1, 7-6 (2) |
Doubles:
| No. 1 | Laiho-Lehnhoff (UF) def. Bunn-Pinchbeck (UNC) 9-8 (4) |
| No. 2 | Hazlett-Scaringe (UF) def. Mejia-Rotondi (UNC) 8-3 |
| No. 3 | Dawaf-Bengtsson (UF) def. Erin Niebling-Courtney Zalinski (UNC) 8-0 |
