The University of Florida swept Florida Atlantic 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships on Friday at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators (26-2) advance to the second round, where they play Tulane on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. The Green Wave (20-4) defeated Texas 4-0 in the first round.
"We hadn't played in a few weeks and I thought that was apparent. FAU did a good job of not really giving us any rhythm, too," UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. "We weren't as sharp as we have been, but I think we'll be better tomorrow. We'll have our hands full Tulane on Saturday. They looked very good today. Their number one doubles team won the National Team Indoor Championships and they have solid depth in their singles lineup. We're going to have to play well."
The Owls end their season with a 19-6 overall record, setting a school record with the 19 wins. Friday's match also marked the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championships. FAU's record has improved each of head coach Caroline Wheelen's three seasons with the school.
"(Florida) is such a tough team and my strategy and what I told the team was we have nothing to lose and they have everything to lose. Have fun and enjoy yourself out there. Our goal was to win the conference and we did that, this was just an extra dessert," FAU head coach Caroline Wheelen said. "I thought we gave it all we had, Florida is just another level. All of those girls' serves are unbelievable. We'll learn a lot of this experience."
The Gators jumped out to quick leads on all three doubles courts and never looked back en route capturing the doubles point and eventually the team victory. The match began at 2 p.m. and play got underway with the on-court temperature registering 96 degrees.
"Winning the doubles point today was very important because of how hot it was," UF's Alexis Gordon said. "It was good to get out of the heat as fast as possible. At the beginning of the match it didn't feel as hot, but once the breeze died down it started to get warmer and I could feel the heat coming through my shoes."
Gordon paired with Julie Rotondi at the No. 2 doubles position and posted a 8-3 win over Maria Aguirre-Gomez and Jessica Burrow in 55 minutes to give UF the doubles point. She then turned her attention to the No. 5 singles court, where she needed just 45 minutes to record a 6-0, 6-0 win over Krystel Borg. Gordon's victory was her 18th consecutive singles win, while the doubles victory was her 10th consecutive.
Despite Gordon's quick work on the singles court, she wasn't the first to finish. At the No. 4 position, FAU's Tania Rivera was forced to retire just six games into the match against Zerene Reyes. Coach Wheelen said that Rivera had been experiencing flu-like symptoms prior to the match and today's weather conditions contributed to the decision to end the match with Reyes serving at 4-2.
Florida freshman Boglarka Berecz continued her impressive run, logging her 12th consecutive singles victory with a 6-1, 6-0 win against Jessica Burrow at the No. 6 position. Berecz provided the clinching dual match point with her 53 minute decision and help the Gators advance to the NCAA Second Round.
The Gators looked solid on all three doubles courts, where the pair of Lindsay Dawaf and Julia Scaringe topped Krystel Borg and Tania Rivera 8-1 at the No. 3 position to record the first UF victory in the 2003 NCAA Championships. UF's Jennifer Magley and Zerene Reyes led their No. 1 match 6-4, serving at 40-30 when play was halted. All postseason matches are immediately abandoned once the dual match victor is decided.
NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
First Round
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex, Gainesville, Fla.
Friday, May 09, 2003
Florida 4, Florida Atlantic 0
Doubles
1. Jennifer Magley/Zerene Reyes (26), Florida vs. Alena Dvorakova/Karolina Roubickova, FAU match abandoned
2. Alexis Gordon/Julie Rotondi (53), Florida d. Maria Aguirre-Gomez/Jessica Burrow, FAU 8-3*
3. Lindsay Dawaf/Julia Scaringe, Florida d. Krystel Borg/Tania Rivera, FAU 8-1
Singles
1. Julia Scaringe (47), Florida vs. Alena Dvorakova (67), FAU match abandoned
2. Julie Rotondi (35), Florida vs. Karolina Roubickova, FAU match abandoned
3. Lindsay Dawaf (28), Florida vs. Maria Aguirre-Gomez, FAU match abandoned
4. Zerene Reyes (24), Florida d. Tania Rivera, FAU 4-2 retired
5. Alexis Gordon (14), Florida d. Krystel Borg, FAU 6-0, 6-0
6. Boglarka Berecz, Florida d. Jessica Burrow, FAU 6-1, 6-0*
Order of Finish: Doubles 3, 2; Singles 4, 5, 6
*Clinching Match
END OF REPORT
