Florida Gators
#14 Vanderbilt
No. 7 Women's Tennis Defeats No. 14 Vanderbilt in SEC Opener, 5-2
Saturday, March 1, 2008 | Women's Tennis
The seventh-ranked University of Florida women's tennis team used the depth of its singles lineup and the strength of its doubles teams to defeat No. 14 Vanderbilt, 5-2, on a chilly Friday evening at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The win, which improved the Gators' all-time home record versus Southeastern Conference opponents to an impressive 140-1, was the league opener for both teams.
Florida (7-1, 1-0 SEC) needed just under an hour to capture the initial team point of the match, winning all three doubles matches to remain perfect in dual match doubles action. Lolita Frangulyan, Whitney Benik and Marrit Boonstra then earned victories on their respective singles courts to clinch the dual match. Boonstra provided the fourth team point of the match, but the day was far from over, as action on courts No. 1 and No. 2 was still in the first set and court No. 3 had entered the initial game of the third set.
“Overall, I thought we played well,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “I'm really proud of Lolita because she's done everything we've asked of her but hasn't gotten a lot of playing time. We handed her the balls today and she responded. She's done a fabulous job of staying motivated and ready to play. She means a lot to our team. Vanderbilt played outstanding tennis at (singles positions) number one and two and I give them all the credit. We'll watch the tape from those matches and make some adjustments
Frangulyan gave Florida a 2-0 lead, as she defeated Caroline Ferrell 6-2, 6-0 at the No. 6 position, and notched her ninth consecutive singles victory. Ferrell broke the Gator senior to start the match, but Frangulyan broke right back, held and earned two more breaks en route to taking the initial set. She held to open the second and broke Ferrell at love in the next game, cruising to the straight-set decision.
“My first game was a little shaky because I made a lot of unforced errors,” Frangulyan said. “Then I got back into the match. I felt like I moved well and hit the ball back and forth and that was it.”
Benik then followed with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Taka Bertrand on court No. 4, before Boonstra ended the dual match outcome with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Keilly Ulery to remain a perfect 8-0 in collegiate singles matches.
Eight of the nine games in the first set on court No. 4 were breaks, but Benik was able to hold in the sixth game en route to taking the first frame. After both held to start the second set, Bertrand rode her emotions to break Benik in the third game. The Gator senior, however, remained steady and broke right back as she won five straight games to earn the victory.
Boonstra jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead behind a pair of breaks, before Keilly Ulery got on the board with one of her own. The Gator freshman earned her third break of the match and the rest of the set was played on-serve, as Boonstra took the early lead. Ulery held the early lead in the second set, serving at 3-1, up a break, before Boonstra rattled off three straight games and held for a 5-3 lead, later serving out for the clinching dual match win.
The Gators remaining perfect in dual match doubles play, winning all three matches for the eighth time this season. UF's No. 1 pair of Megan Alexander and Marrit Boonstra was the first team off the court after posting an 8-4 victory over Taka Bertrand and Catherine Newman. The Gator tandem of Julia Cohen and Anastasia Revzina then secured the team doubles point with their 8-2 decision over Keilly Ulery and Caroline Ferrell at the No. 3 spot. Polishing off the three-match sweep for Florida was Whitney Benik and Lolita Frangulyan, who posted an 8-4 win versus Amanda Taylor and Courtney Ulery.
Continuing to battle in singles action on Friday after the dual match had been clinched was sophomore Megan Alexander, who battled past Courtney Ulery 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted one hour and 57 minutes. The first four games in the decisive third set were breaks and next five games were on-serve, before Alexander managed the all-important break in the 10th game, where she earned the hard-fought victory.
Gator freshman Julia Cohen lost for the first time in her collegiate singles career, falling to Vanderbilt's 29th-ranked senior, Amanda Taylor, 7-5, 6-2, on court No. 1, where the Commodores earned their first point of the dual match.
UF sophomore Csilla Borsanyi battled Catherine Newman for two hours and 57 minutes, before falling 6-7 (6), 7-5, 1-0 (10-7) to conclude the team scoring. After winning the first set in over an hour and a half, Borsanyi actually raced out to take a 4-1 lead with the serve in the second, before Newman dug deep and battled back to force a 10-point super tiebreak set to decide the outcome.
The Gators return to action on Sunday, when they play host to No. 22 Kentucky beginning at 1 p.m. Admission to all regular-season home matches is free. Parking restrictions on campus during the weekend are lifted, however, tennis fans are asked to be mindful of designated handicap and car pool spots.
Women's College Tennis
No. 14 Vanderbilt at No. 7 Florida
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Final Score: Florida 5, Vanderbilt 2
Doubles
No. 1 Megan Alexander/Marrit Boonstra (15), UF d. Taka Bertrand/Catherine Newman (33), VU 8-4
No. 2 Whitney Benik/Lolita Frangulyan, UF d. Amanda Taylor/Courtney Ulery, VU 8-4
No. 3 Julia Cohen/Anastasia Revzina, UF d. Keilly Ulery/Caroline Ferrell, VU 8-2*
Singles
No. 1 Amanda Taylor (29), VU d. Julia Cohen (74), UF 7-5, 6-2
No. 2 Catherine Newman (43), VU d. Csilla Borsanyi (26), UF 6-7 (6), 7-5, 1-0 (10-7)
No. 3 Megan Alexander (58), UF d. Courtney Ulery (48), VU 6-3, 0-6, 6-4
No. 4 Whitney Benik, UF d. Taka Bertrand, VU 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 Marrit Boonstra, UF d. Keilly Ulery, VU 6-2, 6-4*
No. 6 Lolita Frangulyan, UF d. Caroline Ferrell, VU 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: Doubles-1, 3*, 2; Singles-6, 4, 5*, 1, 3, 2
*clinching doubles point/dual match point
END OF REPORT
