Florida Gators
#16 Michigan - ITA Team Indoors Rnd of 16
Women's Tennis Defeats Michigan in ITA National Team Indoors Round of 16
Friday, February 12, 2010 | Women's Tennis
The fourth-ranked University of Florida women's tennis team defeated No. 16 Michigan, 5-2, in the round of 16 at the 2010 ITA Division I National Women's Team Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
The Gators (7-0) advance to the quarterfinals, where they play third-ranked and second-seeded Northwestern on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Wildcats, who are the defending tournament champions, defeated Tennessee, 6-1, in their round of 16 match.
“I thought we played tentative tennis today. We played more not to lose than to win and today we were good enough to get the win, but I'm going to emphasize to our team that we need to have a more aggressive mindset when we play,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “Northwestern is the defending Indoor Champion and certainly know how to play indoor tennis.”
Florida swept all three doubles matches and captured the initial team point of the competition, something the Gators have done in every dual match this season.
Senior Anastasia Revzina (Russia), freshman Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) and sophomore Claire Bartlett (Chattanooga, Tenn.) won their singles matches at the Nos. 4, 2 and 6 positions, respectively to clinch the team win.
Revzina improved to 7-0 in dual match singles action with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Whitney Taney that gave the Gators a 2-0 lead.
Will followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Tania Mahtani, as the Gator rookie won her 25th singles match this season, her fifth in dual match play.
Two of Bartlett's last four matches entering Friday's action have gone to three sets, and the Gator newcomer benefitted from that experience, as she provided the clinching victory with a 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1 decision over Michelle Sulahian.
“Claire had an opportunity to close out the match in two sets, but showed great maturity to pull it out and play her best tennis in the third set. That's a really good sign,” Thornqvist said.
Senior Marrit Boonstra (The Netherlands) clocked in a straight set victory at the No. 3 spot over Rika Tatsumno, 6-3, 6-2 to give the Gators a 5-0 lead.
The Wolverines (3-1) then fought back at the Nos. 1 and 5 positions, overcoming match points held by Gator freshmen Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Caroline Hitiman (Belguim) and captured the three-setters, as Embree fell in the traditional third set tiebreaker 12-10, and Hitimana dropped a 10-point super tiebreaker, 11-9.
2010 ITA Division I National Women's Team Indoor Championships - Round of 16
Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Nielsen Tennis Stadium
Madison, Wis.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Final Score: Florida 5, Michigan 2
Doubles
No. 1 Marrit Boonstra/Allie Will (UF) d. Tania Mahtani/Denise Muresan, 8-5*
No. 2 Lauren Embree/Anastasia Revzina (UF) d. Rika Tatsuno/Whitney Taney, 8-6
No. 3 Caroline Hitimana/Joanna Mather (UF) d. Mimi Nguyen/Michelle Sulahian, 8-6
Singles
No. 1 (36) Denise Muresan (Michigan) d. (15) Lauren Embree (UF), 6-7, 6-0, 7-6 (12-10)
No. 2 (13) Allie Will (UF) d. Tania Mahtani (Michigan), 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 (81) Marrit Boonstra (UF) d. Rika Tatsumno (Michigan), 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 (92) Anastasia Revzina (UF) d. Whitney Taney (Michigan), 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 Mimi Nguyen (Michigan) d. Caroline Hitimana (UF), 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9)
No. 6 Claire Bartlett (UF) d. Michelle Sulahian (Michigan), 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1*
Order of Finish: Doubles-3, 1*, 2; Singles-4, 2, 6*, 3, 1, 5
Records: Florida 7-0, Michigan 3-1
-UF-
