Women's Tennis Caps Strong Weekend at Gator Fall Classic

Sunday, September 27

Gainesville, FL

9:00 AM

Florida Gators

Gator Fall Classic - Day 3 of 3

Women's Tennis Caps Strong Weekend at Gator Fall Classic

Sunday, September 27, 2009 | Women's Tennis

The University of Florida women's tennis team withstood the blazing hot temperature on the court and completed the third and final day of the Gator Fall Classic on Sunday with another round of exciting performances at the Ring Tennis Complex.

Newcomers Claire Bartlett (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) won all three of their respective singles matches during the weekend, with Bartlett taking down Ole Miss' Laura van de Stroet, 6-1, 7-5, and Will upsetting 49th-ranked Karen Nijssen, 6-0, 6-3.

“I played really well in the first set and I had very few unforced errors. I was really impressed with my opponent. She came back out in the second set fired up, picked up her game and made me work harder,” said Will of her straight-set victory. “It was a close second set but I was able to pull out the win.”

Bartlett's opponent also proved tougher in the second frame, but the Gator sophomore kept her focus and earned the win to post a 3-0 record in her debut at the Ring Tennis Complex.

“I loved it, the whole atmosphere. Playing at home for the first time was a very special feeling,” shared Barlett on playing her first matches in front of the home fans. “After we did our team cheer and lineup up on the court in a row, it gave me such a good feeling knowing that we're all fighting together and helping each other.

Gator freshman Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) dismantled her second nationally-ranked opponent in as many days to begin her collegiate singles career 2-0, as she earned an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 25 Kristi Boxx. Embree also compiled a 3-0 doubles record, playing the last two matches with Will and shutting out both opponents.

“My goal this weekend was to win all of the matches I played this weekend and I was able to do that,” Embree said. “I don't think I played as well as I did yesterday and need to continue working on being aggressive. Overall, I'm happy with how things went and I really enjoyed the home environment. It's a good feeling when your teammates are cheering for you.”

Sophomore Jessica Alexander (Dallas, Texas), won both of the singles matches and all three doubles contests she played during the weekend, with Sunday's singles bout a 6-4, 6-2 decision over Ole Miss' Soledad Podipnik.

“I'm very happy about the weekend. We found out how tough we are and we learned a lot about our team chemistry and that people are helping each other out. Half of team wasn't feeling well, but still did an excellent job of competing,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “I've always had a pretty good idea that we're a talented team, but the intangibles that can really set a team apart are its toughness and chemistry. I saw both of those things this weekend. I saw how incredibly fit we are and how physically we played. The championship teams we've had here have all been tough, which is directly correlated to fitness.”

The next event on the fall schedule is the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships hosted by the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Prequalifying action for the collegiate Grand Slam event takes place on Oct. 3-4 at UCLA, while the qualifying rounds are Oct. 6-7 and the main draw held from Oct. 8-11.

Florida senior Marrit Boonstra (The Netherlands) earned an automatic berth into the 32-player main draw, while senior Anastasia Revzina (Russia) and Embree received spots in the 64-player qualifying event. Will and sophomore Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) were awarded spots in the pre-qualifying event.

Additionally, three Gator doubles teams earned spots in the 32-team qualifying draw, with Boonstra and Mather being paired together, Alexander and Revzina comprising another team and Embree and Will the third unit set to compete for one of the four open slots in the main draw.

2009 Gator Fall Classic

Ring Tennis Complex

Gainesville, Fla.

September 27, 2009

Complete Singles Results

Lauren Embree, UF d. Kristi Boxx, UM 6-3, 6-2

Allie Will, UF d. Karen Nijssen, UM 6-0, 6-3

Connor Vogel, UM d. Joanna Mather, UF 6-1, 6-4

Claire Bartlett, UF d. Laura van de Stroet, UM 6-1, 7-5

Jessica Alexander, UF d. Soledad Podlipnik, UM 6-4, 6-2

Gabriela Rangel, UM d. Brittany Borsanyi, UF 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8)

Ecaterina Vasenina, USF d. Alexis Rodriguez, UCF 6-4, 6-3