Florida Gators
#17 Ole Miss
Gators Still Undefeated in SEC After 5-2 Win Over Ole Miss
Saturday, March 21, 2015 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In their first home match since the start of the month, the No. 2 Florida Gators captured a 5-2 victory over No. 17 Ole Miss on Friday evening at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. The Orange and Blue extended its winning streak to nine matches and remains undefeated versus Southeastern Conference foes.
Fans did not have to wait long for top-quality tennis, as all three matches in the opening doubles event went to tiebreakers. On Court 3, No. 22-ranked Josie Kuhlman and Peggy Porter trailed Arianne Hartono and Iris Verboven, 7-4, and rallied to force the first tiebreaker. The tandem put UF within reach of the doubles point with an 8-7 (6) decision. Meanwhile, Courts 1 and 2 were early in their respective tiebreakers. Sophomore Spencer Liang sent a cross-court shot right between Erin Stephens and Mai El Kamash to set up match point. Liang and Belinda Woolcock clinched the early advantage on Court 2 with an 8-7 (5) win.
Following the most competitive doubles outing at the Ring this season, Florida seemingly had the upper hand in singles after kicking off individual competition with two straight-set victories from sophomore Kourtney Keegan and freshman Peggy Porter to give the Gators a 3-0 edge. Ole Miss, however, tested Florida's Nos. 1 and 4, Brooke Austin and Belinda Woolcock, and handed each just their second respective singles loss of the dual match season and first of the conference schedule.
Rookie No. 6-ranked Josie Kuhlman bounced back after dropping her first set to No. 50 Arianne Hartono and clinched the match with a three-set win on Court 2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. Junior Brianna Morgan boosted the 5-2 victory with a hard fought win over the Rebels' No. 100 Mai El Kamash, 6-2, 7-6 (1).
Florida continues action at home on Sunday, March 22, when they host No. 27 Mississippi State at 1 p.m. at the Ring Tennis Complex.
| 2015 University of Florida Women's Tennis | ||||||
| Scott Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex | ||||||
| Gainesville, Fla. | ||||||
| Friday, March 20, 2015 | ||||||
| Doubles | FLORIDA | vs | OLE MISS | Winner |
| Score/match length |
| Brooke Austin (4) | Julia Jones | |||||
| No. 1 - | Kourtney Keegan (4) | Natalie Suk | DNF | 7-7 (5-3), DNF | ||
| Spencer Liang | Erin Stephens | |||||
| No. 2 - | Belinda Woolcock | Mai El Kamash | UF* | 8-7 (5) (1:15) | ||
| Josie Kuhlman (22) | Arianne Hartono | |||||
| No. 3 - | Peggy Porter (22) | Iris Verboven | UF | 8-7 (6) (1:05) | ||
| Singles | FLORIDA | vs | OLE MISS | Winner |
| Score/match length |
| No. 1 - | Brooke Austin (5) | Julia Jones (12) | OM | 6-4, 7-5 (1:47) | ||
| No. 2 - | Josie Kuhlman (6) | Arianne Hartono (50) | UF* | 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 (1:51) | ||
| No. 3 - | Brianna Morgan (20) | Mai El Kamash (100) | UF | 6-2, 7-6 (1) (1:54) | ||
| No. 4 - | Belinda Woolcock (32) | Natalie Suk | OM | 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 (2:25) | ||
| No. 5 - | Kourtney Keegan (38) | Erin Stephens | UF | 6-2, 6-1 (1:30) | ||
| No. 6 - | Peggy Porter (119) | Zalina Khairudinova | UF | 6-4, 6-1 (1:41) | ||
| FINAL SCORE: | Florida – 5 | Ole Miss – 2 | * Clinched victory | |||
| Records: | Florida 14-1, 6-0 | Ole Miss 11-5, 3-4 | ||||
| Order of Finish: | Doubles: 3, 2* | Singles: 5, 6, 1, 2*, 3, 4 | ||||
| Attendance: 213 | ||||||
Quotes from the Match
Thornqvist's Thoughts – Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
On all three doubles matches going into a tiebreaker…
It was competitive and I really liked how we handled ourselves at the end. We won it with some aggressive play. We made good decisions at the end. I thought all three teams handled themselves under pressure exceptionally well today and that was one of the reasons that we were able to win the doubles point. At No. 3 doubles, we were basically down and out. I have to commend Josie [Kuhlman] and Peggy [Porter] for just really sticking with it and coming up with some big shots under pressure. It looked like we were going to lose but somehow they found a way to turn it around. Overall, our doubles was exceptional.
Junior Brianna Morgan
On the threat posed by Ole Miss…
I think we learned that it's always important to really stay on your feet and not underestimate your opponent. Anyone can have a great day. Anyone can play better than they may be expected to play, so it's really just important to always be on your feet, not take anything for granted and not think any win is handed to you.
On the quick turnaround and preparing for Sunday's match…
I think we'll take what happened here tonight and build on it. Our doubles definitely played well. I think they played better than they've been playing so that's great. And I think Brooke [Austin] and Belinda [Woolcock] will for sure rebound from their losses and get better from it. That's just the type of players they are.
VIDEO: Head coach Roland Thornqvist on the challenge posed by Ole Miss
Florida vs. Ole Miss:
Florida improved to 42-3 all-time versus Ole Miss, including 19-0 in Gainesville.
Florida vs. SEC Teams:
Florida holds a 433-29 all-time record against Southeastern Conference opponents including postseason matchups, and a 366-19 mark in regular-season matches (6-0 this season).
141 and Counting:
Florida boasts an overall program-record home winning streak of 141 matches. The streak is the longest active home winning streak of any NCAA DI team.
Home Sweet Home:
Florida owns a remarkable 475-25 all-time home record. Additionally, they are 194-1 all-time versus SEC opponents at the Ring Tennis Complex.
Big Stage Bri
Junior Brianna Morgan has clinched a team-leading five matches for the Gators. She has not dropped a set in her last five singles matches and boasts the best SEC singles record on the squad, 5-0.
Going the Distance in Doubles:
The Gators are 11-0 in dual matches when winning the doubles point this season. The No. 1 Florida tandem, No. 5-ranked Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan, and No. 2 pairing, Spencer Liang and Belinda Woolcock, have each dropped just one doubles match in dual matches this season.
Porter's Progress:
Freshman Peggy Porter has posted a singles point in five of her last six outings and is undefeated in conference singles.
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