Florida Gators
Texas
No. 6 UF Women's Tennis Defeats No. 7 Texas, 4-3
Thursday, March 14, 2002 | Women's Tennis
Sixth-ranked Florida passed its first test this season against a top-10 ranked team, with Wednesday evening's 4-3 victory over No. 7 Texas at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators improved to 8-0 overall, while handing the Longhorns (8-1) their first loss of the season.
Florida doesn't have much time to savor tonight's win, as No. 11 Kentucky visits Gainesville on Friday at 5 p.m., followed by Sunday's outing against No. 2 Vanderbilt.
"The team and I know that this is the first of many tests for us this season," Thornqvist said. "We look forward to returning to SEC action and hope to play better against Kentucky on Friday."
"Today, we started out playing doubles on our heels, and Texas dictated emotionally and physically right off the bat," UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. "But because we fought so well, we didn't take the doubles point loss that hard. Today, we showed that we are one heck of a singles team."
After dropping the doubles point, Florida jumped out quickly in several of the singles matches. Sophomore Annika Bengtsson (Helsingborg, Sweden) was the first Gator off the court, dropping Lindsay Blau 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 5 position.
But Texas took a 2-1 lead in the team scoring after Kayie Smashey topped Gator freshman Alexis Gordon (Windsor, CT), 6-2, 6-1 at the No. 4 spot.
Florida senior Jessica Lehnhoff (Delray Beach, FL), ranked No. 2 in the country, battled 18th-ranked Vladka Uhilrova at the No. 1 position. With the score tied at 4-all in the opening set, Lehnhoff broke Uhilrova and then held serve to the take the first set 6-4. The first three games of the second set featured service breaks, with Lehnhoff capitalizing twice. The next three games were held, until Lehnhoff earned another break in the seventh game and then held serve to close out the 6-4, 6-2 win.
Sophomore Lindsay Dawaf (Olney, MD) cruised through the first set of her No. 2 singles match against Joanne Masongsong, winning it 6-1. But the second set didn't begin kindly for Dawaf, as she lost her first two serves between breaking Masongsong's. Then Dawaf was serving at 30-40, down 3-5 in the second set, when she fought off one set point and held serve on her second advantage. From there Dawaf dominated the rest of the match, allowing Masongsong just two points in the final four games to secure the 6-1, 7-5 victory. Dawaf's win gave the Gators a 3-2 lead in the team scoring.
"In the beginning of the second set, I started to back off and played defensively," Dawaf said. "I was playing to the forehand more than to her backhand. Once I started playing more aggressive and attacked her backhand, I played better, smarter and let her make the mistakes."
"Joanne (Masongsong) really stepped up her game in the second set," Thornqvist said. "Lindsay wasn't as ready for it and became a bit complacent. When Lindsay's back is against the wall is when she seems to play her best tennis."
UF rookie Zerene Reyes (Mexico City, Mexico) continued her mastery of the long rallies, and wore down 49th-ranked Katie Ruckert to post her first collegiate win over a ranked opponent, capturing the 6-2, 6-2 victory at the No. 3 spot and provide the clinching team point for the Gators.
The No. 6 match between UF's Julia Scaringe (Marietta, GA) and Rebekah Forney split sets and with the dual match already secured, the deciding set was played as a super-tiebreaker, which Forney won to take the victory 7-6 (4), 4-6, (10-5).
The Gators lost the doubles point for the first time this season, as Texas won on courts No. 2 and No. 3. Texas's Kaysie Smashey and Lindsay Blau clinched the doubles point in the No. 2 position, staving off a late rally by UF's Alexis Gordon and Julia Scaringe. The Gator duo trailed Smashey and Blau 7-1 but won five straight games before falling 8-6. Rebekah Forney and Michelle Krinke led the Longhorns into the doubles point by defeating Annika Bengtsson and Zerene Reyes 8-1 at the No. 3 spot. The lone Gator victory occurred at the No. 1 position, where Lindsay Dawaf and Jessica Lehnhoff topped Ziva Grasic and Vladka Uhlirova 8-6.
College Women's Tennis
No. 6 Florida 4, No. 7 Texas 3
Gainesville, Fla. * Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Doubles
1-Lindsay Dawaf/Jessica Lehnhoff (9), UF d. Ziva Grasic/Vladka Uhlirova (38), Texas 8-6
2-Alexis Gordon/Julia Scaringe, UF L. Lindsay Blau/Kaysie Smashey, Texas 8-6*
3-Annika Bengtsson/Zerene Reyes, UF L. Rebekah Forney/Michelle Krinke, Texas 8-1
Singles
1-Jessica Lehnhoff (2), UF d. Vladka Uhlirova, Texas 6-4, 6-2
2-Lindsay Dawaf (29), UF d. Joanne Masongsong, Texas 6-1, 7-5
3-Zerene Reyes, UF d. Katie Rucket, Texas 6-2, 6-2*
4- Kaysie Smashey, Texas d. Alexis Gordon (76), UF 6-2, 6-1
5-Annika Bengtsson, UF d Lindsay Blau, Texas 6-0, 6-1
6- Rebekah Forney, Texas d. Julia Scaringe, UF 7-6 (4), 4-6, (10-5)
*clinched match & doubles point
END OF REPORT
