Florida Gators
ITA All-American - Day 4 of 4
W-Tennis Doubles Team Falls in Final at Riviera All-American Championships
Sunday, October 11, 2009 | Women's Tennis
The amazing run by the University of Florida women's tennis doubles team came to a tough end in the final match at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships Sunday afternoon at the Riviera Tennis Club.
The Gators' freshmen tandem of Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) lost to Tennessee's seventh-ranked team of Caitlin Whoriskey and Natalie Pluskota, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
“Lauren and Allie played well in the first set, but started a little complacent in the second set and that's when Tennessee sensed that and completely took control of the net,” UF associate head coach Dave Balogh said. “Unfortunately, we couldn't counter. I'm very proud of the way they represented the University of Florida. This was an impressive start to their Gator careers.”
The Riviera/ITA All-American Championships is considered the first leg of the collegiate Grand Slam.
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, with three wins in three days before Sunday's finale. Along their path to the title match, the unranked rookie duo defeated six nationally-ranked teams, including No. 5, 11, 13, 18, 20 and 27.
The next event on Florida's fall season schedule is the ITA Southeast Regional Qualifying Tournament that begins Oct. 21 in Atlanta.
Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships
Riviera Tennis Club
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009
UF Results Only
Doubles, Final
(7) Caitlin Whoriskey and Natalie Pluskota (Tennessee) d. Lauren Embree/Allie Will (UF), 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
-UF-
