Second-ranked Florida remained undefeated by sweeping Florida International 7-0 Saturday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators (3-0) have shutout each of their first three opponents for the first time since 1990.
Alexis Gordon played the No. 1 singles position for the first time in her career and rose to the challenge with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Mei Ly. After each opened the match holding serve, Gordon won the next five games to take the first set. But in the second set, Gordon found herself serving down 4-1 before staging a comeback. In the eighth game she fought off multiple brake-points and evened the second set at 4-all. The hard serving lefty then won eight of the next nine points to serve out the victory.
"Alexis' play during the fall season showed that she can play with anyone in the country and we feel confident with her playing near the top of the lineup," UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. "I think our lineup will continue to change because we have such great depth. The fact that we can shift our lineup it one of our strengths. We're very even at so many positions and we need to use that to our advantage."
Julia Scaringe was the first Gator to post a singles win, posting a 6-0, 6-3 vicotry over Davina Duronio at the No. 3 spot. Scaringe, the lone senior on the team, held off one break point in the final game before serving out the match to give Florida a 2-0 lead in the team scoring.
"I was trying to come to the net as much as possible today," Scaringe said. "We're preparing for the (National Team Indoors Championships) next week and its on a quick surface so it's beneficial to come in also. It gave us something to really focus on in this match."
Junior Lindsay Dawaf shortly followed with a 6-2, 6-1 solid win over Bruna Discordia at the No. 2 position. Freshman Jennifer Magley provided the clinching dual match point with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Christine Suard at No. 5, just missing the double-bagel outcome as Suard held in the second game of the final set.
Florida won the final two matches by love scores in the deciding game of the second set, putting an exclamation mark on the Gator sweep. Sophomore Zerene Reyes worked her ground strokes to near perfection during her 6-1, 6-1 win against Desanka Jovanovic at the No. 4 spot. Freshman Boglarka Berecz then completed the Gator shutout with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Courtney Jonson at the No. 6 position.
In doubles, Magley and Reyes got the Gators rolling quickly, as the No. 3 tandem jumped out to a 5-0 lead en route to the 8-1 victory that Magley ended with an ace. Gordon and Scaringe also raced out to a 5-0 lead on court No. 2, where they provided the clinching team doubles point with an 8-2 win. Dawaf and Julie Rotondi completed doubles action with an 8-4 win, ending the match with a service break.
Florida next travels to Madison, Wis., to compete in the National Team Indoor Championships. The four-day event begins on Thursday and features most of the nation's top 16-ranked teams. UF head coach Roland Thornqvist will be available to talk with the media about this event on Monday beginning at 11:20 a.m. in the University Women's Club, located next to the Basketball Complex.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE TENNIS
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, FL
Final Score: Florida 7, Florida International 0
Doubles
No. 1 Lindsay Dawaf/Julie Rotondi (12), UF d. Bruna Discordia/Mei Ly, FIU 8-4
No. 2 Alexis Gordon/Julia Scaringe (7), UF d. Davina Duronio/Desanka Jovanovic, FIU 8-2*
No. 3 Jennifer Magley/Zerene Reyes, UF d. Courtney Jonson/Christine Suard, FIU 8-1
Singles
No. 1 Alexis Gordon (9), UF d. Mei Ly, FIU 6-1, 6-4
No. 2 Lindsay Dawaf (7), UF d. Bruna Discordia, FIU 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 Julia Scaringe (24), UF d. Davina Duronio, FIU 6-0, 6-3
No. 4 Zerene Reyes (26), UF d. Desanka Jovanovic, FIU 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 Jennifer Magley (83), UF d. Christine Suard, FIU 6-0, 6-1*
No. 6 Boglarka Berecz, UF d. Courtney Jonson, FIU 6-3, 6-2
*clinched doubles point/dual match
END OF REPORT
