Florida Gators
ITA South Regional - Day 1
South Carolina State getting used to role as UF's sacrificial lamb
Friday, May 11, 2012 | Women's Tennis, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Three years in a row now, South Carolina State has lived its own version of that deju vu movie “Groundhog Day.”
Horror flick-style.
The Lady Bulldogs just finished the best women's tennis season in school history, finishing 19-0 with two players going undefeated in singles, yet for the third straight year the team drew national power -- and in this case, defending national champion -- Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
SCSU coach Suzanna Mansour was hoping the program's historic season would have warranted a different postseason fate.
“This time, I was just like, 'Damn! You've got to be kidding me,' " Mansour said. “Story of my life.”
Literally.
Mansour played at Florida State two years, then transferred to play her final two seasons at South Carolina. She saw Gators in her sleep then; probably will again tonight.
Florida, the tournament's No. 2 overall seed, routed South Carolina State 4-0 in Friday's match at Linder Stadium, winning the doubles point in 31 minutes, then making quick work to clear the singles courts in three matches. It was the third straight year -- and fourth time since 2005 -- the Gators had shutout the Bulldogs 4-0 in the first round.
The win moved the Gators (22-1) into second-round play to face Washington State (19-6) Saturday at 3 p.m. The loss sent the Bulldogs (19-1) back to Orangeburg, S.C.
Not that it was unexpected.
Mansour checked her players out of the team hotel before the match.
If they had won?
“I'd have checked 'em back in -- and paid for it myself,” she said. “Then taken 'em out for filet mignon.”
Senior Joanna Mather (pictured left), playing her final weekend of home matches, was the first to dispatch of her opponent, defeating Laura Bosneag 6-0, 6-0, at No. 3 singles. Junior Caroline Hitimana, at No. 5, and sophomore Sofie Oyen, at No. 4 were quick to follow in putting an end to UF's first match since winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament finals 19 days ago at Oxford, Miss.
See you in 2013, Bulldogs.
Bring blindfolds and cigarettes.
“I'm sure it's difficult for them because they have a good team,” Florida coach Roland Thornqvist (pictured top right) said of SCSU's annual Gator gathering. “At the same time, our job is to take care of our business. If we had lost today, our players would have been devastated.”
