Florida Gators
Gator Fall Classic (Day 1)
WTennis Enjoys Success at Gator Fall Classic-Day 1
Saturday, October 5, 2002 | Women's Tennis
University of Florida senior Julia Scaringe (Marietta, GA) and freshman Jennifer Magley (Bradenton, FL) each advanced to the quarterfinals of the Flight A singles draw at the 2002 Gator Fall Classic. Scaringe and Magley also teamed together and reached the quarterfinals of the Flight A doubles draw.
Competition continues at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. Admission is free. Scaringe is scheduled to face Miami's Alexandra Smith at 10 a.m., while Magley takes the court against Florida State's Anca Dumitrescu at 10:30 a.m.
UF freshman Natalie Mikolich (Boca Raton, FL) is the first Gator to swing into action on Saturday, when she battles FSU's Natalie Tirapelli at 9:30 a.m. in the quarterfinals of the Flight B back draw.
Scaringe received a first-round bye in the 32-player singles draw before posting an impressive 6-1, 6-1 victory over UCF's Marieke Gunawan in the second round.
"I was very focused today and didn't have many unforced errors," Scaringe said. "I really went for my shots and it felt good."
Magley played on UF's home courts for the first time during her Gator career, and was solid in her debut, defeating Miami's Eweina Skaza 6-3, 6-2 in the second round.
"I thought I got around my backhand and hit my forehand well today," Magley said of her performance. "I penetrated the ball deep in the court and stayed focused. It was a lot of fun today playing at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. I enjoyed the experience. I received a lot of positive feedback from the fans who came out to support us."
In doubles Magley and Scaringe battled back from down 5-3 in the 8-game pro set to emerge with a 9-7 win over UCF's Anna Westin and Pamela Fernandez.
"We pulled things together more. We started making smarter returns and more first serves and got ourselves into the point more. It gave them more of an opportunity to miss and us opportunities to cross," Scaringe said. "In the first part of the match, we were making too many errors and weren't pressuring them at all."
Mikolich also enjoyed her home debut, winning her Flight B first round battle against USF's Talia Romero 7-6, 7-5 in a long match in the sweltering heat. Unfortunately, she faltered against UCF's Ola Luczak 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 in the second round. She later paired with Miami's Sara Robbins to defeat FIU's Bruna Discordia and Jonson 8-5 in the Flight B quarterfinals.
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