Florida Gators
ITA All-Am. Championships
WTennis Wins Doubles & Conso. Singles Riviera All-Am. Titles
Monday, October 11, 2004 | Women's Tennis
The University of Florida freshmen doubles team of Whitney Benik (Delray Beach Fla.) and Lolita Frangulyan (Bradenton, Fla.) won the Riviera/ITA All-American Women's Tennis Championships doubles title, while junior Jennifer Magley (Bradenton), captured the consolation singles final Sunday at the Riviera Tennis Club.
UF's unseeded and unranked Benik and Frangulyan upset Notre Dame's seventh-ranked Catrina and Christian Thompson 8-3 in the doubles final.
"The sign of a really good team is that they play their best tennis on the last day and that's definitely what we did today," UF associate head coach Dave Balogh said. "We came out on fire and set the tone from the beginning. What Whitney and Lolita have accomplished this week has been inspiring. I couldn't be happier for them. They took chances, smart chances, and did a great job capitalizing on every opportunity they had."
Benik and Frangulyan, who defeated six consecutive ranked opponents en route to the title, also emerged from the two qualifying tournaments, winning 10 matches in nine days to claim the title. The won three matches before falling in the final round of prequalifying on Monday, Oct. 4, but were selected as lucky losers into qualifying due to a late withdrawal. In qualifying they won three matches to reach the main draw, where they strung together four victories over top-20 ranked tandems. They are the second Gator duo to win the Riviera, joining 2001 champs Lindsay Dawaf and Jessica Lehnhoff.
Magley started uncharacteristically slow in her singles final against Alabama's 16th-ranked Robin Stevenson, but regrouped to take the title 0-6, 6-4, 6-4. Magley outslugged Stevenson in a tight third set, breaking the SEC rival in the ninth game with the score even at 4-all. She then served out for the championship.
"Even though she didn't come out playing her best tennis, Jennifer kept her emotions in check and was the difference for her," Balogh said. "If she can keep her emotions in check, she showed she can be a very, very good player."
Magley, whose only loss in the event was a three-set thriller to eventual tournament champion Audra Cohen from Northwestern, is the second Gator to win the consolation singles crown, as Julie Rotondi won the 2002 title.
The Riviera/ITA All-American is the first of three national tournaments held during the collegiate tennis season. The second tournament is the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships Nov. 4-7 at the University of Michigan, followed by the season-ending NCAA Championships in May.
The Gators next return to the court on Friday, when the squad travels to Coral Gables for the Hurricane Classic, Oct. 15-17.
Riviera/ITA All-American Women's Tennis Championships
Riviera Tennis Club
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Sunday, October 10, 2004
UF Results Only
Doubles Main Draw Final
Whitney Benik/Lolita Frangulyan, UF def. Catrina Thompson/Christian Thompson (7), Notre Dame 8-3
Singles Consolation Final
Jennifer Magley (12), UF def. Robin Stevenson (16), Alabama 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
(photo courtesy of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association)
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