Florida Gators
Samford (NCAA First Round)
UF Women's Tennis Sweeps Samford in NCAA First Round, 5-0
Friday, May 12, 2006 | Women's Tennis
The No. 4-seeded University of Florida women's tennis team swept Samford, 5-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships held Friday morning at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The win was the Gators' 16th consecutive overall and 25th straight at home, where Florida (22-1) faces South Florida (17-5) in the NCAA second round on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Gators defeated the Bulls 4-1 during the regular season match played February 8th in Gainesville. USF advanced to the second round with a 4-0 victory over Maryland in the opening round.
Florida started off quickly, as the No. 1 doubles pair of Whitney Benik and Alexis Gordon needed just 23 minutes to earn an 8-1 victory over Sarah McKey and Emily White. The Gator's No. 2 tandem of Lolita Frangulyan and Diana Srebrovic then provided the clinching doubles victory with an 8-1 decision against Anna Jackson and Katie McMiller, as UF collected the doubles point for the 19th time this season. UF's No. 3 pair was at triple-match point when play was abandoned.
“I was glad to see that we were able to get off the court fairly quickly,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “I was really pleased with doubles in particular our No. 1 doubles today. We have been working on moving our feet more when we volley and being a little bit more aggressive at the net. I thought our No. 1 doubles did a really good job in those areas today. That is a good sign. One thing about Samford is that I thought they really competed hard. I was very impressed with how their players competed. It was a good first round for us.”
“We came into Florida knowing that we were going to be a little bit of an underdog, but we had no problem with that,” said Samford head coach Terri Sisk, whose team ends its season with a 14-7 record and their second NCAA appearance in program history. “With Samford being a small private school we were just excited to be here. Our girls were ready to play this caliber of team. I thought we went out there, played well and left their mark.”
Florida received singles victories from freshman Keri Robison, sophomore Diana Srebrovic, senior Alexis Gordon and junior Nina Suvak, as the Gators improve to 8-0 all-time in NCAA round of 64 matches. Alex Liles was two points away from earning a singles win, while Whitney Benik was at the baseline with a 5-0 lead in the second after winning the first set when play was halted.
Robison improved to 6-0 in singles this season after her convincing 6-1, 6-1 NCAA debut over Bethany Benson on court No. 6. Benson broke Robison in the sixth game of the second set to avoid the bagel, but the Gator broke right back at love to capture the win in 52 minutes.
Srebrovic then added UF's third team point with her 6-0, 6-2 victory over Katie McMiller at the No. 2 spot. Srebrovic found herself in a 2-0 hole to start the second before winning the final six games, including the last one at love, to improve to 36-8 this season, including 18-5 in dual matches.
With three other matches on the verge of finishing, Gordon kicked her play into high gear and polished off Anna Jackson 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 1 spot to provide the clinching victory. Gordon missed out on what could have been her third double-bagel in NCAA dual match play when Jackson held serve in the sixth game of the opening set. Gordon remained in control the rest of the match en route to her 10th straight victory of the season.
Suvak was at the baseline receiving for the match as she continued to play the final point against Whitnie Warren on court No. 4, as the Gator junior won the point and match to conclude the team scoring and collect her team-high 15th consecutive win.
NCAA Women's Tennis First Round
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Final Score: Florida 5, Samford 0
Doubles
No. 1 Whitney Benik/Alexis Gordon (24), UF def. Sarah McKey/Emily White, Samford 8-1
No. 2 Lolita Frangulyan/Diana Srebrovic, UF def. Anna Jackson/Katie McMiller, Samford 8-1*
No. 3 Keri Robison/Nina Suvak, UF led Christie Baker/Whitnie Warren, Samford 7-1 DNF
Singles
No. 1 Alexis Gordon (14), UF def. Anna Jackson, Samford 6-1, 6-0*
No. 2 Diana Srebrovic (9), UF def. Katie McMiller, Samford 6-0, 6-2
No. 3 Whitney Benik, UF led Emily White, Samford 6-1, 5-1 DNF
No. 4 Nina Suvak, UF def. Whitnie Warren, Samford, 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 Alex Liles, UF led Sarah McKey, Samford 6-1, 5-1 DNF
No. 6 Keri Robison, UF def. Bethany Benson, Samford 6-1, 6-1
*clinching doubles/dual match point
Order of Finish: Doubles 1, 2; Singles 6, 2, 1, 4
Match Notes
- Florida won its 16th consecutive match, improving to 22-1 on the season.
- The win was Florida's 25th consecutive home win dating back to a loss to Miami in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2004.
- The match marked the first meeting between the two schools as UF improved to 65-19 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, while Samford fell to 0-2 all-time.
- Florida is 8-0 all-time in the Round of 64.
- Individually, Nina Suvak won her team-high 15th consecutive match, taking a 6-2, 6-2 decision at No. 4 singles.
- Alexis Gordon won her 10th consecutive match, needing just :55 in her 6-1, 6-0 victory, while Keri Robison improved to a perfect 6-0 in singles action this season with a 6-1, 6-1 win. Gordon's victory clinched the match.
Post Match Quotes
Florida
Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
“I was glad to see that we were able to get off the court fairly quickly. I was really pleased with doubles in particular our No. 1 doubles today. We have been working on moving our feet more when we volley and being a little bit more aggressive at the net. I thought our No. 1 doubles did a really good job in those areas today. That is a good sign. We took 10 days and worked on it every day, and I was really pleased to see that they could implement it today when they played. Singles – I thought we were spotty. It was a little up and down. We didn't handle their off-pace as well as we could. Problem solving is a part of tennis and we were able to make some adjustments in some of the sets and get off the court pretty quickly. One thing about Samford is that I thought they really competed hard. I was very impressed with how their players competed. It was a good first round for us.”
On the difference in doubles play between the beginning of the year and now…
“They are a little bit more aggressive, I think. Also, they are a little bit more passionate when they play at No. 1 doubles. They are not as much reactive. Early in the season, I thought they were more watching and looking, and now it's more that they are trying to do things. They are trying to be active instead of reactive. I think that makes a big difference, especially playing at No. 1, is that when you play quality players day in and day out, you have to play your style. We have a big server there, so we should be able to dictate.”
On approaching today's match with Samford…
“With today's match, we thought we would be more talented than Samford. We hadn't seen any of their players. We haven't played in three weeks, so I think our players were just happy to be out there. Motivating them to play today wasn't too hard.”
On Saturday's second-round match-up…
“We want to try to improve every time we step out on the court. We're going to watch Maryland and South Florida play. I don't think it will be tough to motivate them – they have been working towards this all year. If they can't get up for this, then there is something wrong. All we have to do right now is let them play – I think that is more important than anything. This is what they've been working for and this is what they're excited about.”
Diana Srebrovic, Sophomore
On her mindset after winning the first set 6-0 and dropping the first two games of the second set…
“In the first game of the second set, I was up 40-love and playing pretty well. Then she [Katie McMiller] came up with a couple of good shots. I think I let that linger on in my head a little too long. I think I recovered fairly quickly, but it was a little frustrating in the moment.”
Alexis Gordon, Senior
On tomorrow being the last home match of her career…
“I am looking forward to tomorrow's match, but I'm going to play it like any other match. We just have to go out there and get the job done.”
Samford
Head Coach Terri Sisk
“We came into Florida knowing that we were going to be a little bit of an underdog, but we had no problem with that. With Samford being a small private school we were just excited to be here. Our girls were ready to play this caliber of team. I thought we went out there, played well and left their mark.”
“At some point all of us are realist. I told the girls, 'look you had such an amazing season, let's just go out there and play our best.' Florida has been at the top for a lot of years, so I told out girls to go out, hit a lot of balls and enjoy the experience.”
END OF REPORT
