The eighth-ranked University of Florida women's tennis team tallied a 4-0 victory over FIU in the second round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex on Sunday.
With the win, Florida (4-0) advances to the round of 16 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, which will be held from Feb. 12-15 at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis.
“Overall, I was very happy with how we played this weekend,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “We knew that FIU would be a tough challenge. They showed that Friday when they played a lot of close matches. We knew we had our work cut out for us. That was a good team, but we never let them in the match.”
Florida started strong, winning the doubles point as the Gators No. 1 tandem of Marrit Boonstra and Allie Will downed FIU's Liset Brito and Priscilla Castillo, 8-4, while the Gators' No. 2 pair of Lauren Embree and Anastasia Revzina clinched the doubles point, also 8-4, defeating Mariana Muci and Chrissie Seredni in just over an hour. The third court did not finish once the doubles point was clinched.
The Gators needed just one hour and 10 minutes on the singles courts to pick up the three points necessary to clinch the victory.
“I thought we played our best singles match of the season, from one through six,” Thornqvist said. “We played with discipline and great body language. Each court was feeding off the next, which we talk about a lot.
“Our freshmen played great and are trying to be more aggressive, taking balls on the rise,” he continued. “They are thriving in team play. Caroline Hitimana had had a steep slope of improvement over the past two weeks, probably showing the most improvement on our team.”
Claire Bartlett sped to a 6-0, 6-1 victory in 54 minutes at the No. 6 singles position, winning the first nine games of the match before allowing Maria Vallasciani her lone game. Anastasia Revzina followed close behind with a 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Maria Pazo on court four to set the table for the Gators.
The clincher came at No. 2 singles, where Will put away Chrissie Seredni, 6-1, 6-1, to end the match in the Gators' favor.
“The first two games were really key in getting past the nerves and getting into a rhythm,” Will said. “She fought to the last point. Even when I was up 6-1, 5-0, she made me work for every point. But I'm learning to play to my strengths and play more aggressively. That's always easy in practice, but the tough part is getting myself to do it in matches.”
At the time of Will's victory, UF was also just one game away from victory on two of the three remaining courts. However, play on those courts was abandoned once Florida's win was secured.
Sunday's win extended the Gators' program-record overall win streak to 70 consecutive, while also marking UF's 81st straight regular-season home victory.
ITA Women's Kick-Off Classic – Second Round
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Second Round
Final Score: Florida 4, FIU 0
Florida vs. FIU Dual Match Results
Doubles
No. 1 Marrit Boonstra/Allie Will (UF) d. (18) Liset Brito/Priscilla Castillo (FIU), 8-4
No. 2 Lauren Embree/Anastasia Revzina (UF) d. Mariana Muci/Chrissie Seredni, 8-4*
No. 3 Caroline Hitimana/Joanna Mather (UF) vs. Maria Pazo/Maria Vallasciani, 6-6 DNF
Singles
No. 1 (15) Lauren Embree (UF) led Liset Brito (FIU), 6-2, 5-0 DNF
No. 2 (13) Allie Will (UF) d. Chrissie Seredni (FIU), 6-1, 6-1*
No. 3 (81) Marrit Boonstra (UF) led Mariana Muci (FIU), 6-2, 1-1 DNF
No. 4 (92) Anastasia Revzina (UF) d. Maria Pazo (FIU), 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 Caroline Hitimana (UF) led Priscilla Castillo, 6-1, 5-2 DNF
No. 6 Claire Bartlett (UF) d. Maria Vallasciani, 6-0, 6-1
Updated Records: Florida 4-0, FIU 3-1
Order of Finish: Doubles- 1, 2; Singles-6,4,2
-UF-
