Florida Gators
#9 Alabama
Belinda Woolcock Clinches 4-1 Win Over Alabama
Saturday, February 28, 2015 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sophomore Belinda Woolcock came through in the clutch for No. 3 Florida as the Gators opened Southeastern Conference action with a 4-1 win over No. 9 Alabama on a chilly Friday evening at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
Junior Brianna Morgan, freshman Peggy Porter and Woolcock each dropped their respective first sets, but forced their opponents into a third, while Florida led the match, 3-1. From there, it was a race to the finish for Florida, as the Gators led in set three on all three courts. Woolcock and Alabama's Emily Zabor required a third set after Woolcock trailed 4-1 in the second and tied it at 4-all en route to the 7-5 set win. The sophomore took control in the third and clinched the match with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory at the No. 4 position.
The Gators earned two quick singles wins to start the individual event. No. 5 Brooke Austin blanked No. 35 Erin Routliffe, 6-0, 6-2, and No. 9 Josie Kuhlman followed with a straight-set victory over No. 64 Danielle Spielmann, 6-0, 6-3. Sophomore No. 39 Kourtney Keegan made it a 3-1 match with her 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Luicelena Perez.
Florida started singles action at a 1-0 disadvantage after dropping the doubles point for the second consecutive match. No. 18 Kuhlman and Porter fell to Natalia Maynetto and Zabor, 8-1. On Court 1, No. 5 Austin and Keegan diligently chipped away at a 4-0 Alabama lead and trailed 4-5, when Liang and Woolcock dropped an 8-2 decision on Court 3 and allowed Alabama the doubles point.
The Gators play one more match at home before embarking on a four-match road swing. No. 3 Florida hosts No. 30 Auburn on Sunday, March 1 at 1 p.m. at the Ring Tennis Complex.
| 2015 University of Florida Women's Tennis | ||||||
| Scott Linder Stadium at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex | ||||||
| Gainesville, Fla. | ||||||
| Friday, February 27, 2015 | ||||||
| Doubles | FLORIDA | vs | ALABAMA | Winner |
| Score/match length |
| Brooke Austin (5) | Maya Jansen (9) | |||||
| No. 1 - | Kourtney Keegan (5) | Erin Routliffe (9) | DNF | 4-5, DNF | ||
| Josie Kuhlman (18) | Natalia Maynetto | |||||
| No. 2 - | Peggy Porter (18) | Emily Zabor | BAMA | 8-1 (:36) | ||
| Spencer Liang | Luicelena Perez | |||||
| No. 3 - | Belinda Woolcock | Danielle Spielmann | BAMA* | 8-2 (:55) | ||
| Singles | FLORIDA | vs | ALABAMA | Winner |
| Score/match length |
| No. 1 - | Brooke Austin (5) | Erin Routliffe (35) | UF | 6-0, 6-2 (1:00) | ||
| No. 2 - | Josie Kuhlman (9) | Danielle Spielmann (64) | UF | 6-0, 6-3 (1:05) | ||
| No. 3 - | Brianna Morgan (16) | Maya Jansen (56) | DNF | 5-7, 6-2, 4-3, DNF | ||
| No. 4 - | Belinda Woolcock (26) | Emily Zabor | UF* | 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 (2:46) | ||
| No. 5 - | Kourtney Keegan (39) | Luicelena Perez | UF | 6-3, 6-3 (1:20) | ||
| No. 6 - | Peggy Porter (95) | Natalia Maynetto | DNF | 5-7, 6-4, 4-3, DNF | ||
| FINAL SCORE: | Florida – 4 | Alabama – 1 | * Clinched victory | |||
| Records: | Florida 9-1, 1-0 | Alabama 8-2, 0-1 | ||||
| Order of Finish: | Doubles: 2, 3* | Singles: 1, 2, 5, 4* | ||||
| Attendance: 201 | ||||||
Quotes from the Match
Thornqvist's Thoughts – Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
On Belinda Woolcock's improvement from freshman to sophomore year…
She's a completely different player. She is stronger than she was last year physically, but more importantly she's stronger upstairs. She's mentally completely on a different level. She's had some really close singles matches in the spring here, but she's so good emotionally in those tight sets that she's been able to close them out. And today she was excellent. She made one little adjustment down 4-1 in the second set and you could tell immediately she was able to turn the match around. And once she got her teeth in there, I thought she was fantastic. She made it really hard on [Emily] Zabor. We made her run. It was run city there for a while. I was very proud of Belinda, how she was able to turn the match around. Obviously that helped us a great deal.
Sophomore Belinda Woolcock
On keys to keeping her composure…
I think about my athleticism. I think about my strengths and I try to work on every single point when it gets really close in the match. I think we're kind of known for that as a Florida team. We're all very athletic players and it gives me confidence that I can win those long points and I can recover when being down like in my second set today. I played better when I was actually down in the second set compared to the first set when I was struggling, so really what gives me confidence is just making sure I think about how I can use my athleticism and I can use my opponent because I can make her work as well.
On what she's improved upon from her first year to second year…
Honestly I would just say maturity as a player. For always being quite a mature person for my age, I guess tennis kind of brings that about as well. But I think maturity in the way I handle big situations and the way I handle being nervous. I'm so much better at that now and I can use my “Plan B” which is, like I said, making sure I use my athleticism if my shots aren't going well. My biggest improvement is my mindset during a match, just being mentally disciplined and really working hard for every single point. That gives me confidence that I can win the match.
139 and Counting:
Florida extended its overall program-record home winning streak to 139 matches after tonight's 4-1 conference-opening victory over Alabama. The streak is the longest active home win streak of any NCAA DI women's team in any sport and second-longest of any NCAA DI team behind the NCAA-record run by the Ohio State men's tennis team, which recently recorded its 201st consecutive home win.
Florida vs. Alabama:
Florida improved to 39-1 overall versus Alabama, including an 18-0 record when playing the Crimson Tide at home.
Home Sweet Home:
Florida boasts an impressive 474-25 all-time home record.
Count on Woolcock:
Woolcock has clinched three matches for the Gators this season and boasts the team's best dual match singles record (7-1). She was recently awarded her first-ever weekly conference honor, as she was named SEC Player of the Week on Feb. 25.
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