Florida Gators
Louisiana State
Women's Tennis Defeats LSU, 7-0
Monday, March 11, 2002 | Women's Tennis
The fifth-ranked University of Florida women's tennis team continued its impressive early season run by posting its second consecutive shutout with a 7-0 victory over LSU on Sunday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators improved to 7-0 overall this season, including a 4-0 record in the SEC. The Tigers fell to 7-4, 0-2 in league action.
"It was good to have solid scores for each match, but it was even better that we played as well as the scores indicated," UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. "We started off very focused in doubles and allowed just three games. We were able to carry that momentum into singles play and didn't give LSU a chance to breath. We're continuing to improve with each match and that's what was the most positive aspect of today's win."
The Gators cruised through all three doubles matches, winning 24 of the 27 games played. UF swept at the No. 2 position, where Alexis Gordon and Julia Scrainge blanked Amanda Mang and Amy McIlhaney 8-0. The Gator's No. 1 duo of Lindsay Dawaf and Jessica Lehnhoff then clinched the doubles point with their 8-1 victory over Bruna Colosio and Rocio Fantilli. At No. 3, UF's Annika Bengtsson and Zerene Reyes downed Tami Botts and Perri Budd 8-2 to complete the sweep.
Florida got off to a quick start on all six singles courts, en route to posting straight sets wins at every position. For the second consecutive match, sophomore Annika Bengtsson (Helsingborg, Sweden) was the first Gator off the court. Bengtsson downed Amy McIlhaney 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 5 position to give Florida a 2-0 lead.
"I feel like things are finally coming together with my game," Bengtsson said. "I was playing more aggressively and felt good about the way I played today."
Seconds after Bengtsson completed her match, freshman Alexis Gordon (Windsor, CT) polished off Amanda Mang 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 4 position. Gordon earned her second of four service breaks in the match to close out the first set. She then exploded in the first game of the second set, servicing four aces to take a commanding lead to begin the final set.
"When my serve is on, I play with so much more confidence and today my serve was really working for me," Gordon said. "I wanted to step up my game today and I thought I played well."
Senior Jessica Lehnhoff (Delray Beach, FL) then clinched the match for Florida with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Bruna Colosio at the No. 1 spot. Also posting singles wins today for the Gators included sophomore Lindsay Dawaf (Olney, MD), who topped Tami Botts 6-2, 6-0 at the No. 2 spot, freshman Zerene Reyes (Mexico City, Mexico), who defeated Rocio Fantilli 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3, and junior Julia Scaringe (Marietta, GA), who downed Perri Budd 6-3, 6-1 at No. 6.
Florida continues its five match homestand on Wednesday, March 13, when the Gators play host to No. 7 Texas beginning at 5:00 p.m. That match against the Longhorns is the first of three contests scheduled for that week when the Gators play three opponents ranked in the top 11 in the country. UF faces No. 11 Kentucky on Friday, before entertaining No. 2 Vanderbilt on Sunday. Admission to all regular season matches is free.
College Women's Tennis
Florida 7, LSU 0
Gainesville, Fla. * Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Sunday, March 10, 2002
Doubles
1-Lindsay Dawaf/Jessica Lehnhoff (9), UF d. Bruna Colosio/Rocio Fantilli, LSU 8-1*
2-Alexis Gordon/Julia Scaringe, UF d. Amanda Mang/Amy McIlhaney, LSU 8-0
3-Annika Bengtsson/Zerene Reyes, UF d. Tami Botts/Perri Budd, LSU 8-2
Singles
1-Jessica Lehnhoff (2), UF d. Bruna Colosio, LSU 6-1, 6-2*
2-Lindsay Dawaf (29), UF d. Tami Botts (136), LSU 6-2, 6-0
3-Zerene Reyes, UF d. Rocio Fantilli, LSU 6-4, 6-1
4-Alexis Gordon (76), UF d. Amanda Mang, LSU 6-3, 6-1
5-Annika Bengtsson, UF d Amy McIlhaney, LSU 6-0, 6-4
|6-Julia Scaringe, UF d. Perri Budd, LSU 6-3, 6-1
*clinched match & doubles point
END OF REPORT
