Florida Gators
ITA All-American - Day 3 of 4
W-Tennis Doubles Team to Play for Title at Riviera All-American Championships
Sunday, October 11, 2009 | Women's Tennis
The University of Florida women's tennis doubles team of Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) marched into the final of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships on Saturday at the Riviera Tennis Club.
The Gator freshman pair defeated North Carolina's fourth-seeded and fifth-ranked team of Sophie Grabinski and Sanaz Marand, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, and will play Tennessee's seventh-ranked tandem of Caitlin Whoriskey and Natalie Pluskota on Sunday afternoon for the title.
The Riviera/ITA All-American Championships is considered the first leg of the collegiate Grand Slam. The last time a Gator team captured this doubles crown was in 2004, when freshmen Whitney Benik and Lolita Frangulyan took the title.
“They gave a fantastic effort today,” UF associate head coach Dave Balogh said. “They served really well in the first and third sets, which made a huge difference and we could be the aggressors. We got complacent in the second set and didn't serve well enough. Lauren and Allie were able to take control of the match in the third set by making a high percentage of their first serves. They hit big passing shots from the baseline.”
Embree and Will began this tournament playing their way through the qualifying draw, where they won three matches in two days to advance to the main draw.
Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships
Riviera Tennis Club
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
UF Results Only
Doubles, Semifinals
Lauren Embree/Allie Will (UF) d. (5) Sophie Grabinski/Sanaz Marand (North Carolina), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
-UF-
