Gators put up fight, Deonte Thompson impresses, Aubrey Hill hired, more tidbits
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 | Baseball, Football, Women's Golf, Gymnastics, Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
Gators senior Lauren Embree and her teammates came up short against Stanford on Monday night.
GAINEVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators women's tennis team fought valiantly against Stanford on Monday night in one of the more intense sporting events of the 2012-13 UF athletics calendar.
“It looked so grim for us there down 3-0 and then somehow we find a way,'' Florida coach Roland Thornqvist said. “We gave ourselves a chance to win. That's one thing about this team, they just never give up.”
The Gators won three consecutive singles matches after falling behind 3-0, including a 6-0, 6-1 loss by No. 1-ranked Lauren Embree against Stanford's Nicole Gibbs.
After Florida's Brianna Morgan, Caroline Hitimana and Olivia Janowicz won to tie the match 3-all, a berth in Tuesday's national championship match rested on a third set between Florida's Alexandra Cercone and Stanford's Krista Hardebeck.
Hardebeck pulled out a 6-3 win in the third set as Cercone finally ran out of gas in the final three games.
The Gators, after back-to-back national titles, finish the season 26-3. While Embree, one of the most competitive players to ever come through the program, and Hitimana are seniors, Thornqvist has a talented team returning next season for one of the country's top programs.
To read more about last night's match, click here for a story from the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.
Meanwhile, here are some other links related to the Gators you might be interested in:
--Former Gators receiver Deonte Thompson is getting noticed in Baltimore writes ProFootballTalk.com.
--The NCAA Baseball Tournament is approaching and PerfectGame.org offers its latest projections with the Gators earning an at-large bid and opening in the Tallahassee Regional.
--ESPN.com takes a look at Gators sophomore running back Matt Jones, who takes over as the team's top tailback.
--Former Gators receiver/assistant coach Aubrey Hill is the new head coach at Miami Carol City High, his alma mater. The school announced Hill's hiring here on its football Facebook page.
--The UF women's golf team hopes to take next step at NCAA Championships writes Richard Johnson of the Independent Florida Alligator.
