Women's Tennis Tops Alabama Crimson Tide, 4-1

Friday, April 10

Gainesville, FL

3:00 PM

Florida Gators

#26 Alabama

Women's Tennis Tops Alabama Crimson Tide, 4-1

Friday, April 10, 2009 | Women's Tennis

The University of Florida women's tennis team opened its regular-season ending three-match homestand with a solid 4-1 victory over Alabama Friday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.

The Gators (11-7, 5-4 SEC) earned the all-important doubles point to start the match, before Jessica Alexander, Marrit Boonstra and Joanna Mather won their respective singles matches to help Florida extend its program-record regular-season home winning streak to 74.

“I'm really proud of how we've been fighting and giving everything we've got every time we step out onto the court,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “Today, I thought the theme for us was, 'resilient.' We lost leads on some courts, but we didn't roll over and lose the set because of it. We were able to put it in another gear and I was very happy to see that. That's the mark of a good team, to be able to handle the different flows of a match. If we had not handled it well today, Alabama would have been right in the match.”

Alabama (13-6, 3-6 SEC) claimed the No. 3 doubles position, but Florida came right back to win the No. 1 spot, where Marrit Boonstra and Joanna Mather defeated Tiffany Welcher and Courtney McLane, 8-2. That left court No. 2 to decide the crucial double-point.

Pairing together for the first time, junior Anastasia Revzina and freshman Barbara Pinterova rose to the challenge. They broke Paulina Bigos and Taylor Lindsey to begin the match and rode that until the seventh game where they earned another to take a 5-2 lead. The Tide duo, however, broke right back and held to keep the eight-game pro-set close. After Revzina and Alabama held in the next games, the Tide broke Pinterova and held to take a 7-6 lead. Revzina held for 7-all and the Gators rallied to win eight of the final 10 points to win the match, 9-7, and capture the doubles point.

Florida jumped out to leads on four of the six singles courts, taking the first sets on courts Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 5. The Tide prevented a shut-out by earning the win on court No. 6 and tied the team scoring at 1-all.

Alexander then swung the lead back in UF's favor when she earned a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Meritt Emery at the No. 4 spot. The first set was tight, with only three breaks to be had. Alexander earned an early one en route to a 4-1 lead, before Emery broke back with one in the seventh game. The Gator rookie ended the set by breaking the Tide and began the second by holding serve and following with another break to take a 2-0 lead. Emery broke right back, but Alexander dug deep and won the final three games for the victory.

Boonstra was the next to come of the singles court, as she posted a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Tiffany Welcher at the showcase position. Three of the first four games of the match were breaks and Boonstra emerged with the lead and that proved to be the only difference in the first frame. The Gator then jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second behind a pair of breaks. The two competitors traded serves before Boonstra held for a 5-1 advantage, holding serve to take the decision and improve to 16-2 this season in No. 1 singles matches.

Mather provided the clinching heroics, downing Paulina Bigos, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 3 spot. The match began with the two trading serves and it remained on-serve entering the sixth game, where the Gator rookie earned the break to take a 4-3 lead. Bigos broke right back, though, but she couldn't hold, as Mather earned a break and served out for the opening set. Mather then found herself down 2-0 in the second before rallying to win the next five games, eventually breaking for the match and earn her seventh straight singles win.

“(Bigos) started playing really well in the second and I got down a quick, 2-0,” Mather shared. “I won a long, hard game to get back to 2-1 and she had some opportunities to go to 3-0. That completely changed the flow of the match.”

Play was abandoned on the remaining singles courts once Mather had clinched the team victory.

Florida continues its final homestretch on Sunday, when the Gators play host to Auburn beginning at 1 p.m. The team ends the regular season on Sat., April 18, when South Carolina visits the Gators. All regular-season home matches are free.

Women's College Tennis

No. 26 Alabama at No. 21 Florida

Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex * Gainesville, Fla.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Final Score: Florida 4, Alabama 1

Doubles

1. (80) Marrit Boonstra/Joanna Mather, UF d. (73) Tiffany Welcher/Courtney McLane, UA 8-2

2. Anastasia Revzina/Barbara Pinterova, UF d. Paulina Bigos/Taylor Lindsey, UA 9-7*

3. Shelley Godwin/Alice Tunaru, UA d. Brooke Allen/Lauren Wolken, UF 8-1

Singles

1. (8) Marrit Boonstra, UF d. (105) Tiffany Welcher, UA 6-3, 6-2

2. Courtney McLane, UA led (38) Anastasia Revzina, UF 6-4, 3-1 DNF