Florida Gators
Vanderbilt
No. 3 Women's Tennis Defeats No. 7 Vanderbilt for Lead in SEC Race
Saturday, April 8, 2006 | Women's Tennis
The third-ranked University of Florida women's tennis team defeated No. 7 Vanderbilt, 5-2, and moved into the driver's seat of the Southeastern Conference race Friday evening at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The victory improved the Gators' overall record to 16-1, but more importantly kept their undefeated SEC record intact, moving to 9-0 in league action. The Commodores, who had their eight-match win streak snapped, fell to 18-3 overall and 8-1 in SEC play.
Florida has another tough match in its regular season home finale, hosting No. 22 Kentucky on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
“We beat a very good Vanderbilt team even though we didn't play great today at some spots, but everyone did a good job of fighting,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “We didn't come out ready to play in doubles, but as a team we really make playing here a true home-court advantage. We made the points go long. I think Vanderbilt felt the cumulative affect of our play and the weather conditions. The last hour of the match, I thought we were better and fresher on just about every court. I'm real proud of our effort, grit and determination and we deserve to be in the driver's seat of the SEC.”
Junior Nina Suvak provided the clinching dual match point with her 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Caroline Ferrell on court No. 5. Suvak struggled with her serve in the opening set, losing it three times, including in the 12th game as Ferrell took the first set. The first two games of the second set were on-serve before two breaks followed before Suvak broke in the fifth game and held to take the early advantage. She the broke again in the seventh game before serving out for the set and forcing a deciding third, which was on-serve until Suvak earned a break in the fifth game and another in the seventh as she held throughout to secure the win.
“I thought I played maybe the worst tennis of my life today,” Suvak shared. “I couldn't hit the ball into the court in the first set. It was really awful, but I battled through it and was trying to do anything to keep the ball in play and give myself a chance. At the end of the second set I got my game back and things went much better. It was tough because I had to beat myself first before I beat (Ferrell). It's such a good feeling to get the team win, though.”
Florida found itself in slightly unfamiliar territory early in the match, losing the doubles point for just the third time this season. The Gators found themselves in early deficits on all three courts, with only the tandem of Lolita Frangulyan and Diana Srebrovic able to make the successful comeback as they rallied past Caroline Ferrell and Amanda Taylor 8-4 on court No. 2 to post their 13th consecutive victory.
UF's No. 3 pair of Keri Robison and Nina Suvak fell just short of a remarkable comeback, as Liberty Sveke and Courtney Ulery staved off the furious rally for the 9-7 decision at the No. 3 position to clinch the doubles point and snapped the Gator pair's seven-match win streak.
But sophomore Alex Liles gave the Gators an almost immediate boost with a quick 6-2, 6-0 victory over Maggie Yahner at the No. 6 position to even the team scoring at 1-all. Liles won the final eight games of the match to improve her singles record to 10-1 this season.
“This was a huge match because we lost to them last year and we were both undefeated in the conference,” Liles said. “I was really excited to start playing today and I came out and won quickly. Everyone did their part in today's win. It feels awesome.”
It was almost an hour before the next singles match concluded, as senior UF Boglarka Berecz downed Courtney Ulery 6-2, 7-6 (5) on court No. 4. Berecz found herself trailing 4-0 and 5-2 in the second set before staging a comeback. She broke Ulery in the 11th game, but couldn't close out the match on her serve, as the Commodore forced a tiebreaker. Berecz jumped out quickly in the breaker, taking a 5-2 lead with a mini-break before Ulery evened the score at 5-all. But Berecz dug deep, holding her serve for a 6-5 lead and then broke for the final point in the straight set victory.
On court No. 1, Alexis Gordon continued her impressive run by defeating her fourth consecutive ranked opponent, downing 15th-ranked Amanda Fish 7-6 (1), 6-2 to give the Gators a 3-1 lead in the team scoring. The first set was on-serve until the two traded breaks in the ninth and 10th games en route to a tiebreaker which Gordon won handily with her powerful serve and ground strokes. She then held serve throughout the second breaking Fish in the sixth game which seemed to break the Commodore's spirit, as Gordon held and earned another break for the victory and snap Fish's eight-match win streak.
Vanderbilt closed the team scoring gap with Taka Bertrand's 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 over Diana Srebrovic at the No. 2 spot, as the Commodores came within one win of tying the dual match, 3-2, but Suvak's victory dashed any chances of a rally.
Sophomore Whitney Benik capped the dual match with a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 win over Amanda Taylor at the No. 3 position. The final seven games of the first set were breaks, needing a tiebreaker to decide the opening frame. Benik jumped out to a quick 5-2 with two serves coming, but couldn't convert and Taylor rallied to take the first set. Benik regrouped in the second set, earning three breaks to force a deciding third set, which was on-serve through the first five games before Taylor took the early lead. But Benik broke right back and then earned the important break in the ninth game before serving out for the win.
Women's College Tennis
No. 7 Vanderbilt at No. 3 Florida
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Final Score: Florida 5, Vanderbilt 2
Doubles
No. 1 Amanda Fish/Taka Bertrand, VU def. Whitney Benik/Alexis Gordon (28), UF 8-4
No. 2 Lolita Frangulyan/Diana Srebrovic (36), UF vs. Caroline Ferrell/Amanda Taylor, VU 8-4
No. 3 Liberty Sveke/Courtney Ulery, VU def. Keri Robison/Nina Suvak (53), UF 9-7*
Singles
No. 1 Alexis Gordon (22), UF def. Amanda Fish (15), VU 7-6 (1), 6-2
No. 2 Taka Bertrand (45), VU def. Diana Srebrovic (3), UF 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
No. 3 Whitney Benik, UF def. Amanda Taylor (88), VU 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 Boglarka Berecz (43), UF def. Courtney Ulery, VU 6-2, 7-6 (5)
No. 5 Nina Suvak, UF def. Caroline Ferrell, VU 5-7, 6-2, 6-2*
No. 6 Alex Liles, UF def. Maggie Yahner, VU 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: Doubles 2, 1, 3; Singles 6, 4, 1, 2, 5, 3
END OF REPORT
