Florida Gators
#4 Vanderbilt
Florida Drops Tough 4-3 Decision to Vanderbilt in NCAA Quarterfinals
Monday, May 18, 2015 | Women's Tennis
2015 NCAA Tennis Championships Central
WACO, Texas – The 2015 season came to a close for the No. 5 Florida Gators (5) with a 4-3 NCAA Quarterfinal loss to No. 4 Vanderbilt (4) on Sunday evening at the Hurd Tennis Center at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
After dropping an incredibly close doubles point, the Gators went ahead, 3-1, and needed just one more singles win to advance to the NCAA Semifinals. Three singles matches remained in play, and the outlook was bright for Florida. Despite dropping her first set, junior Brianna Morgan was making it difficult for Vanderbilt's Frances Altick in the second. Meanwhile, freshman Texas native Peggy Porter had won her first set, 6-4, versus Ashleigh Antal, and freshman Josie Kuhlman was rolling in the second set after dropping her first to Astra Sharma, 7-5.
Morgan's seven-match winning streak came to an end when Altick closed her out in the second, 6-4, and the Commodores cut the Gators' lead to one. On Court 6, Antal forced Porter into a third with a 6-4 win in the second. Similarly, Kuhlman applied the pressure on Sharma and forced her match into set three with a 6-2 win in set two.
After Porter fell to Antal in the third, 6-2, the No. 2 singles match became the match-deciding affair. Kuhlman led early in the third, 1-0, but Sharma earned three-straight games to take a 3-1 advantage. Kuhlman responded and was able to break Sharma's serve and pull ahead, 4-3, but Sharma in similar fashion broke Kuhlman's serve and tied the third set, four-all. The momentum remained in Sharma's favor for the remainder of the set and Sharma took two straight games to win the third, 6-4, and clinch a berth to the NCAA Final Four for Vanderbilt.
A crucial doubles point win early in the match made the difference for Vanderbilt. The Commodores eased to an 8-1 victory at No. 3 doubles, but the Gators remained in the hunt for the early advantage with an 8-5 win at No. 1. Kuhlman and Belinda Woolcock sent the match into a tiebreaker, and took an early 5-3 lead, but Vanderbilt recorded three consecutive points to go up, 6-5. Points were traded back and forth before the Commodores won the tiebreaker, 10-8, and secured the doubles point.
There are still matches to be played for the Gators, as four individuals have qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship and two for NCAA Doubles Championship. Brooke Austin, Kuhlman, Kourtney Keegan and Morgan will play for the individual title, while Austin and Keegan will compete as a duo for the doubles crown. Woolcock is an alternate for the singles competition.
| 2015 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship – Quarterfinals | ||||||
| Hurd Tennis Center | ||||||
| Waco, Texas | ||||||
| Sunday, May 17, 2015 | ||||||
| Doubles | FLORIDA | vs | VANDERBILT | Winner |
| Score/match length |
| Brooke Austin (6) | Sydney Campbell (20) | |||||
| No. 1 - | Kourtney Keegan (6) | Courtney Colton (20) | UF | 8-5 | ||
| Josie Kuhlman | Ashleigh Antal (18) | |||||
| No. 2 - | Belinda Woolcock | Astra Sharma (18) | VU* | 8-7 (8) | ||
| Spencer Liang | Frances Altick | |||||
| No. 3 - | Peggy Porter | Marie Casares | VU | 8-1 | ||
| Singles | FLORIDA | vs | VANDERBILT | Winner |
| Score/match length |
| No. 1 - | Brooke Austin (3) | Sydney Campbell (8) | UF | 6-3, 6-3 | ||
| No. 2 - | Josie Kuhlman (13) | Astra Sharma (42) | VU* | 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 | ||
| No. 3 - | Brianna Morgan (28) | Frances Altick (96) | VU | 6-2, 6-4 | ||
| No. 4 - | Kourtney Keegan (56) | Courtney Colton (61) | UF | 6-3, 6-3 | ||
| No. 5 - | Belinda Woolcock (58) | Marie Casares (120) | UF | 6-1, 6-4 | ||
| No. 6 - | Peggy Porter | Ashleigh Antal | UF | 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 | ||
| FINAL SCORE: | Florida – 3 | Vanderbilt – 4 | * Clinched victory | |||
| Records: | Florida 24-4 | Vanderbilt 23-6 | ||||
| Order of Finish: | Doubles: 3, 1, 2* | Singles: 5, 4, 1, 3, 6, 2* | ||||
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Quotes from the Match
Thornqvist's Thoughts – Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
On the match results…
“It is very disappointing. We have a whole bunch that is crushed, but at the same time Vanderbilt was incredible. We were up 3-1 on them and they needed to win the remaining three matches to beat us, and they did. That team is really tough. That has never happened to me where the same team beats me three times in one year. You just have to give them all the credit in the world. Vanderbilt was outstanding at the end.”
On the message to the team…
"My message to them is that I am proud of them. They are fighting every day at practice to get better. They are doing the extra stuff to take care of their bodies, and as a coach that is all you can ask for. Days like today when it does not go your way, you have to take care of them and say, 'I love you and keep doing what you are doing.'”
Vanderbilt Head Coach Geoff Macdonald
On thoughts after being down 3-1…
“In tennis you just go, 'Well, what can we do about it now.' We talk a lot about hanging around and seeing what happens. I thought a huge key was Ashleigh Antal getting the second set. That shifted things. All of a sudden this match became a little hairier because now we are down to third sets. The way she won the third, her level of play went way up. She beat Peggy Porter who is quite a good player. Words cannot express what Astra [Sharma] just did. It was incredible.”
Florida at the NCAA Championship:
Florida made its 33rd appearance in the 34-year history of the NCAA Championship, missing only the 1986 event. UF is 105-27 all-time in NCAA Championship matches. The Gators have won six NCAA team titles: 1992, '96, '98, 2003, '11 & '12. They have reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championship 24 times in the last 28 years (including 2014), with 13 trips to the NCAA Final.
Florida vs. Vanderbilt:
The Gators remain the all-time series leader versus Vanderbilt, 47-5, however three of those five losses occurred during the 2015 season.
NCAA Success:
The Gators fall to 24-5 in NCAA Quarterfinal matches. They are 29-3 in NCAA Round of 16 matches, 16-1 in Second Round contest and 17-0 in the First Round.
UF as the NCAA No. 5 Seed:
This is the third time the Gators entered the NCAA Championship as the No. 5 seed. UF has been a top-five seed in 27 of its 33 overall NCAA appearances. Seeding for the NCAA began with the 1987 event.
Full Steam Ahead Into Individuals:
Brooke Austin, Josie Kuhlman, Kourtney Keegan and Brianna Morgan will compete for the NCAA Singles Championship. Belinda Woolcock enters the mix as an alternate. Austin and Keegan will also compete for the NCAA Doubles title. Austin is riding a six-match singles winning streak heading into the event. She and Keegan have also won six-straight doubles matches.
Interactive Bracket: http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/tennis-women/d1
Printable Bracket: http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/gametool/brackets/tennis-women_d1_2014.pdf
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