Gators travel to the West Coast to take on St. Mary's and Stanford
Friday, February 21, 2014 | Women's Tennis
The No. 5 Gators (7-1) travel to California this weekend to play No. 38 St. Mary's (3-3) for the first time in program history on Saturday and then national rival No. 3 Stanford (6-0) on Sunday. Both matches will take place at the Taube Family Tennis Center, Stanford, where first serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST on Saturday and 3 p.m. EST on Sunday.
The Series: Florida vs. St. Mary's
· Saturday's match will be the first time the two schools have played each other on the tennis court.
· Both teams' schedules feature matches at Stanford directly before or after the Gators and Gaels meet.
· The Cardinal defeated the Gaels 5-2 on Thursday.
The Series: Florida vs. Stanford
· Stanford leads the all-time series against Florida, 18-13.
· Of the 31 prior meetings between the two schools, last year's planned regular-season meeting on February 24, 2013, in Gainesville, Fla., (that Florida won 4-2), was just the fourth time ever Florida and Stanford played a regular-season, non-tournament match. The first contest was on March 31, 1989, also in Gainesville, where the top-ranked Cardinal prevailed 5-4 against the second-ranked Gators.
· Two of the last four NCAA Championship final matches featured the Gators against the Cardinal, with Stanford winning 4-3 in 2010 and Florida earning the 4-3 decision in Palo Alto for the 2011 national championship and halting the Cardinal's NCAA record 184-match home winning streak that spanned from 1999-2011.
· The two teams most recently met in the 2013 NCAA Semifinals, where Stanford defeated the Gators 4-3. Florida nearly overcame a 3-0 deficit but couldn't complete its rally to gain a bid to what would have been the Gators' third consecutive NCAA title match.
· Stanford also leads the series in NCAA Championships action, where the Cardinal hold the 10-3 advantage over the Gators, including a 6-3 edge in the final.
Numbers of Note
· Brianna Morgan enters the Stanford match having won her last 17 singles matches in dual match play
· Freshman Kourtney Keegan gained her 21st singles victory of the year at the Gators' most recent match, a win over No. 30 Florida State.
Quoting UF head coach Roland Thornqvist:
· On the match versus Stanford:
· “It's going to be fun. The last time we arrived at Stanford, they had a nice big crowd. When we were out there during the regular season a couple of years ago, they really took it to us. I don't think we were necessarily prepared to play as well as we should have been at that time. I feel a little more confident now that we are, and today (defeating Florida State) was a great way to send us off. I think we're continuing to improve in all areas, so that's obviously very important going into Stanford.”
Meet the 2013-14 Gators:
· Alexandra Cercone: 5-5, Sr., Seminole, Fla.
· Olivia Janowicz: 5-6, Sr., Palm Bay, Fla.
· Kourtney Keegan: 5-11, Fr., Roswell, Ga.
· Brianna Morgan: 5-8, So., Beverly Hills, Calif.
· Sofie Oyen: 5-3, Sr., Leopoldsburg, Belgium
· Stefani Stojic: 5-7, Fr., St. Albans, Victoria, Australia
· Belinda Woolcock: 5-7, Fr., Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
· Head Coach: Roland Thornqvist (UNC '96, 13th year at UF; 18th overall)
· Associate Head Coach: Dave Balogh (Florida '96, 14th year at UF)
This Weekend's Matches at a Glance
· What: No. 5 Florida (7-1) vs. No. 38 St. Mary's (3-2) and at No. 3 Stanford (5-0)
· When: St. Mary's match is Sat., February 22 at 4 p.m.
· When: Stanford match is Sun., February 23 at 3 p.m.
· Where: Taube Family Tennis Center, Stanford, Ca.
· Admission: FREE
For all of the latest information on Florida women's tennis:
Official Website: http://www.gatorzone.com/tennis/women/
Twitter: @GatorZoneTennis
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