Florida Gators
Tennessee
Triumphant -- and very fit -- UF women's tennis team returns home as champions
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
They finally arrived back in town late Monday night, drained from the cross-country flight and week-plus stay in California for the NCAA Championships.
Well, drained might not be the right word for this group of Gators. They proved in the title match against host Stanford that they still had plenty left in the tank with the national championship at stake.
“Our saying is, 'Fatigue makes a coward of us all,' '' Florida coach Roland Thornqvist said. “The way we play, we run and we defend, and you just cannot do that if you're not fit.”
Right outside of Thornqvist's office on a glass shelf was the prize for the Gators' fitness: the 2011 NCAA women's tennis national championship trophy.
As satisfying as Lauren Embree's title-clinching win against Stanford's Mallory Burdette was for Thornqvist, perhaps a close second came the next afternoon when USC men's coach Peter Smith strolled over.
The Trojans won their third consecutive national title on the same day the Gators beat Stanford, 4-3, to claim the program's fifth national title, snapping the Cardinal's 184-match home win streak in the process.
Smith had a question for Thornqvist.
“What is it that you do that nobody else does with your athletes,'' Smith asked.
Thornqvist told him that there were no secrets, just a challenging fitness regimen that includes a lot of time without tennis rackets in the players' hands and a healthy nutrition program.
“I really felt good about that,'' Thornqvist said. “That was a great compliment from somebody who does it on the men's side.''
Freshman Alexandra Cercone arrived on campus in August ready for the tennis part of the equation. All those sprints on the soccer field, not so much.
“We ran so many sprints,'' Cercone said. “It really paid off. We can all agree that grass is our least favorite.''
“We would not have been close to winning a national championship if we had not been fit,'' Thornqvist said. “It's a mindset for us, to try and have as a goal to be the fittest team overall at every position when we get to the national championship. That's something you have total control over.
“You don't need skill for that. You just need determination and will power.''
No one showed more will power in the final than Embree, who fought back from a 4-0 deficit in the third set to defeat Burdette in a tiebreaker.
Embree remained on Cloud Nine on Tuesday despite the sore toenail that forced her to retire from Sunday's NCAA singles semifinals, spoiling her bid for a perfect season. Embree finished her sophomore season at 28-1 in singles play.
Still, she made a name for herself around Gator Nation with her gutsy comeback in Tuesday's team finals.
“We knew it was going to be a close match,'' Embree said. “We knew it was going to come down to the end, just maybe not 7-6 in the third. Stanford has great depth and so do we, so we knew every position was going to be tough. There could have been many different outcomes.''
Cercone played a big role in the victory as well, the only Gator to win five singles matches for the Gators in their run to the title. She watched from courtside as Embree played Burdette for the final point.
Her nerves nearly got the best of her until Embree won the final point when Burdette hit long.
“It was our time,'' Cercone said. “It's really cool to give this program recognition.''
So, what's next for the Gators?
A relaxed Thornqvist plans to go fishing with his family for a few days to savor the win. Cercone and Embree headed home for summer break Tuesday afternoon, Embree making sure to grab one of the orange-and-blue national championship T-shirts that arrived in the mail shortly before she headed out the door.
As if winning a national title wasn't enough, ending Stanford's 12-year home win streak was an added bonus.
“We had a lot of Pac-10 coaches come up to us afterward and say, 'You guys have no idea what you just did. You have no idea how you helped us,' '' Thornqvist said. “The streak is there for a reason. They are really tough to beat there. They do a wonderful job there of using the crowd. They know how to use that crowd momentum.
“We found out it takes a mighty effort to beat them.''
