Florida Gators
Ole Miss
No. 4 UF Women?s Tennis Wins SEC Opener, 6-1, Over Ole Miss
Saturday, March 4, 2006 | Women's Tennis
The fourth-ranked University of Florida women's tennis team won its 27th consecutive Southeastern Conference opener with Friday's 6-1 victory over Ole Miss Friday at the Palmer-Salloum Tennis Center.
The Gators (7-1) also improved to 32-2 all-time against the defending SEC Western Division champion Lady Rebels (6-1), who had their best start since the 2002 season halted.
“I was extremely pleased with our play today, it was an excellent way to start the SEC,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said.
After winning the doubles point, Whitney Benik gave the Gators a 2-0 lead after her impressive 6-2, 6-1 victory over Ilona Somers on court No. 3. Benik improved to 8-0 in dual matches this season, 2-0 at the No. 3 position.
“Whitney was phenomenal,” Thornqvist praised. “She's playing better and better each match.”
Fellow sophomore Diana Srebrovic followed with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Nika Koukhartchouk on the No. 2 court, extending UF's lead to 3-0. Junior Nina Suvak then clinched the dual match by defeating Mimi Renaudin at the No. 5 position to clinch the match for Florida.
Gator senior Boglarka Berecz led her No. 4 match against Kseniia 6-4, 4-5, but once the match had been secured she defaulted to rest an injury. While Kseniia gets credit for the win, Berecz handed the Lady Rebel her first set loss of the dual match season.
UF senior Alexis Gordon was pushed into three sets for the first time this year but it didn't stop her from remaining undefeated in dual matches, as she improved to 7-0 with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory over Virginia Tomatis at the No. 1 position.
UF sophomore Alex Liles, who was playing just her third singles match of the season, rallied for a 1-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-4) super-tiebreak victory against Preethi Subramanian at the No. 6 spot to conclude the team scoring.
“Alex gave us a great effort today at the No. 6 position and that's exactly what we need,” Thornqvist said.
Florida began by taking the doubles point for the sixth time this season, earning a sweep of all three positions. The No. 3 pair of Keri Robison and Nina Suvak collected the first Gator victory of the match, defeating Preethi Subramanian and Mimi Renaudin, 8-3. Lolita Frangulyan and Diana Srebrovic then clinched the initial team point of the match with their 8-4 win over Nika Koukhartchouk and Kseniia Tokarieva. UF's 60th-ranked tandem of Whitney Benik and Alexis Gordon upset 41st-ranked Virginia Tomatis and Ilona Somers 8-6 to secure the sweep.
“We played doubles today with a lot of passion and energy,” Thornqvist said. “I liked what I saw from all three spots.”
The Gators return to action on Sunday, traveling to Starkville, Miss., to play Mississippi State at 2 p.m. ET. Florida is 25-0 all-time against the Lady Bulldogs, including a 13-0 record in Starkville.
Women's College Tennis
No. 4 Florida at No. 32 Ole Miss
Palmer-Salloum Tennis Center
Oxford, Miss.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Final Score: Florida 6, Ole Miss 1
Doubles
No. 1 Whitney Benik/Alexis Gordon (60), UF def. Virginia Tomatis/Ilona Somers (41), UM 8-6
No. 2 Lolita Frangulyan/Diana Srebrovic, UF def. Nika Koukhartchouk/Kseniia Tokarieva, UM 8-4*
No. 3 Keri Robison/Nina Suvak, UF def. Preethi Subramanian/Mimi Renaudin, UM 8-3
Singles
No. 1 Alexis Gordon, UF def. Virginia Tomatis, UM 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
No. 2 Diana Srebrovic (5), UF def. Nika Koukhartchouk, UM 7-6, 6-3
No. 3 Whitney Benik (99), UF def. Ilona Somers, UM 6-2, 6-1
No. 4 Kseniia Tokarieva, UM def. Boglarka Berecz(41), UF 4-6, 4-5, ret.
No. 5 Nina Suvak, UF def. Mimi Renaudin, UM 7-5, 6-3*
No. 6 Alex Liles, UF def. Preethi Subramanian, UM 1-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-4)
Order of Finish: Doubles 3, 2, 1; Singles 3, 2, 5, 4, 1, 6
END OF REPORT
