No. 1 Seed Florida Opens SEC Tournament Action with Ole Miss in Quarterfinals
Thursday, April 16, 2015 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 3 Florida Gators enter the 2015 Southeastern Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed after securing the regular season title, and will take on No. 22-ranked Ole Miss, the No. 9 seed, on Friday, April 17 at 9 a.m. at the Carolina Tennis Center in Columbia, S.C.
The Gators lead the all-time series with the Rebels, 42-3.
UF received a first and second round bye as the top squad in the conference. They face the Rebels after Ole Miss upset the No. 8 seed, No. 20-ranked Kentucky, 4-0, Thursday afternoon in Round Two.
During the regular season, Florida defeated Ole Miss, 5-2. After winning a close doubles point, Kourtney Keegan, Josie Kuhlman, Brianna Morgan and Peggy Porter earned singles wins for the Gators. Brooke Austin and Belinda Woolcock fell victim to their first SEC singles losses of the season at No. 1 and No. 4.
The winner of the Florida/Ole Miss match-up will take on the victor of No. 4 seed Vanderbilt versus No. 5 seed Alabama on Saturday, April 18 in the semifinals tentatively scheduled for noon.
Thornqvist's Thoughts – Head coach Roland Thornqvist
On meeting Ole Miss for the second time this season…
Ole Miss is really talented. We had a close doubles point against them. In this league, there are such small margins between teams that we can't take anything for granted. Last year we lost in the quarterfinals of this tournament, so we've got to make sure the Gators are ready for Friday.
SEC Tournament Format:
The SEC Tournament format consists of a single-elimination tournament of six singles and three doubles. Once a team clinches the match, all play stops immediately for matches in progress. There will be no consolation matches. Singles and doubles champions shall not be named. Complete information about the tournament, including links for live scoring, can be found online through South Carolina's website, www.gamecocksonline.com.
Last Time:
In the regular season, Florida defeated Ole Miss, 5-2.
Florida at the SEC Tournament:
The Gators are 69-8 all-time in SEC Tournament matches, losing six times to Georgia, once to Ole Miss and once to Texas A&M in the 2014 quarterfinals. UF is 26-1 in quarterfinals matches with last year's loss to the Aggies. The Gators have won 19 out of a possible 27 SEC Tournament titles. They have advanced to the final round of the tournament 24 times in the 27-year history of the event.
Florida vs. SEC Teams:
Florida holds a 439-30 all-time record against Southeastern Conference opponents including postseason matchups, and a 372-20 mark in regular-season matches (12-1 this season).
SEC Champions!
With wins over Georgia and Tennessee in their final regular season weekend at home, the Gators clinched their 28th SEC regular season title, their 10th under head coach Roland Thornqvist in his 14 years at the helm.
Going the Distance in Doubles:
The Gators are 15-0 in dual matches when winning the doubles point.
Winning at the Right Time:
Sophomore Belinda Woolcock's match-clinching victory over Tennessee's Laurence Guevrement marked her first singles victory since UF's 7-0 win at Missouri on March 15.
Freshman Phenom:
Brooke Austin's win versus Tennessee boosted her SEC singles record to 10-2. She is now tied with Brianna Morgan for the team lead in SEC singles victories. Austin, the first freshman to play No. 1 singles since Gator Great Lauren Embree, has posted a singles point for UF in six of its last seven wins and has defeated eight ranked players in dual match action. She was named SEC Freshman of the Week on April 13.
#3 Florida (20-2, 12-1) vs. #22 Ole Miss (15-9, 5-8)
Friday, April 17 at 9 a.m.
Carolina Tennis Center, Columbia, S.C.
Live Stats: http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/2015-sec-tourn-match-7.html
Notes: http://www.gatorzone.com/tennis/women/stats/notes/pre/20150417090000.pdf
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