Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 5-ranked No. 5 seed Florida Gators advanced to the NCAA Second Round with ease by way of a 5-0 victory over Bethune-Cookman in the opening round of the NCAA DI Women's Tennis Championship on Friday evening at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.

The Gators' victory set up an NCAA Second Round match-up with No. 24 Georgia Tech on Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m.

UF executed outstandingly in doubles, as the Gators earned the first win of the event on Court 2, 8-0. Spencer Liang and Peggy Porter clinched the early tally with an 8-2 victory over Bethune-Cookman's Maria Garoz-Moreno and Alejandra Vidal, 8-2.

It was all uphill from there for the Orange and Blue, as UF earned first set wins on all six singles courts. No. 3-ranked freshman Brooke Austin started a wave of singles wins when she tabbed 11-straight games in a 6-2, 6-0 victory over the Wildcats' Mina Matsuba at the No. 1 position. Fellow rookie No. 13 Josie Kuhlman took down Maria Sablina on the neighboring court, 6-1, 6-2. Junior No. 28 Brianna Morgan clinched her team-leading ninth match for the Gators at the No. 3 singles position to secure a Second Round berth for the Gators. Liang posted a win simultaneously on Court 6, 6-1, 6-1, to give the Gators the 5-0 final.

Quotes from the Match

Thornqvist's Thoughts – Head Coach Roland Thornqvist

On today's match against Bethune-Cookman and advancing to the NCAA Second Round:

“I was very pleased. We set a goal after the SEC Tournament – after losing to Vanderbilt a second time – to be the team in the country that makes up the most ground in these three weeks off; to be the team that improves the most. Obviously I haven't seen any of the other teams nationwide play except Georgia Tech, but I must say in all my years of doing it, that was perhaps the best ground we've ever made up in the three weeks since we'd played last. I thought we were super sharp today. Clearly we were ready to play someone else, they were just ready to take it out on somebody else. There was great energy, we made good decisions. The little things we've been practicing the last two-and-a-half-weeks, we implemented almost all of them, so I was very pleased today.”

On what he'd like to see tomorrow:

“I'd like to see us play this well, really. We need to be just as aggressive in doubles because Georgia Tech has fantastic doubles, all three are tough doubles combinations, and then be physical when we have to. It's going to be really hot and humid again and we're playing in the heat of the day, so I think this Gator team is ready for long matches. If it goes past the three-hour mark, I think we're going to be strong at the end. That's a great relief to have when you begin play.”

On Bethune-Cookman:

“I thought they did really well. They have good players up and down the lineup, which was really good for us. We were tested. In doubles we had to coach to finish and that's exactly what we needed. It was a great contest from first match in doubles to last match in singles.”

Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Tim Pleasant

On how sharp Florida was Friday:

“Very impressive. It was great seeing that type of talent all through their positions. Not only are they great tennis players, they are really excellent athletes. It was nice to see them represent the school and see what a nationally top-five team looks like.”

On where Bethune-Cookman goes from here:

“From here, hopefully just keep building confidence. Our goal is always to compete well in our conference, but outside of conference, we're trying to get recognized in Florida as a competitive team. Florida itself is a tennis hub in the nation. We'd like to be in the conversation as a solid team. Just because we're a small school, we're across the board a really good athletic program.”

Florida Sophomore Spencer Liang

On her first NCAA Tournament match:

“It felt really good for me to be out there. Of course I don't get many chances to be out there, but when I do I love to compete. I just want to give it my all when I am. Unfortunately, sometimes the reason I do go in there is when one of the other girls is resting, but she's there supporting us no matter what.”

On the delay and waiting to get on the court:

“The delay is hit or miss. Sometimes you get very anxious when you're sitting around waiting, especially watching outside in the heat. We tried to stay inside, cool and keep our minds calm and focused when we got out there.”

Florida Freshman Brooke Austin

On how eager the Gators were to get on the court:

“Obviously we were really excited. We've been working really hard. It has been awhile since we've played. We really just wanted to get out there and get the rust off and get started in the NCAA Tournament.”

On nerves and jitters in her first NCAA match:

“For sure, last night I was thinking about it a lot, but once I got up this morning, I thought: I can do this. We've played so many matches now, just act like it's another match, go out there, do my best and play my hardest. I tried to just go out there and compete.”

Florida at the NCAA Championship:

Florida is making its 33^rd appearance in the 34-year history of the NCAA Championship, missing only the 1986 event. UF is 103-26 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. Bethune-Cookman:

Florida improves to 4-0 all-time against Bethune-Cookman, with all four meetings occurring as part of the NCAA Championship.

First Round Success:

Since the NCAA expanded the field to 64 teams, Florida is now a perfect 17-0 in first-round matches. The Gators are 15-1 in the Second Round, 28-3 in Round of 16 matches, 24-4 in the Quarterfinals, 13-11 in the Semifinals and 6-7 in the title match.

UF as the NCAA No. 5 Seed:

This is the third time the Gators enter 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.

Home Sweet Home:

Florida boasts a remarkable 481-25 all-time home record. The Gators sport a 12-0 regular-season home record in 2015 entering the NCAA Championship. UF has produced 24 undefeated home seasons in program history.

146 and Counting:

With today's victory, UF extended its overall program-record home winning streak to 146 matches, which includes 23 wins in postseason play. The streak is the longest active home winning streak of any NCAA DI team.

Gators Firsts:

Freshman Brooke Austin, freshman Josie Kuhlman and sophomore Spencer Liang each tallied their first career NCAA singles win. Liang and Kuhlman also earned their first NCAA doubles victories as did freshman Peggy Porter.

Strive for Five:

Brooke Austin and Brianna Morgan both tallied their fifth-consecutive singles win in today's 5-0 victory.

Moving On Up:

Brianna Morgan's singles win moved her into sole possession of 44^th place on the all-time Gator Combined Wins All-Time Total Singles and Doubles Victories list (83 overall singles wins, 37 overall doubles wins for a combined 120).

LOOKING AHEAD

Florida vs. Georgia Tech:

The Gators are 2-0 all-time against the Yellow Jackets (1-0 in Gainesville). Both meetings between UF and GT occurred during postseason play at the NCAA Championship (2008, 2013). The Gators topped the Yellow Jackets, 4-2, in 2008 to advance to the semifinals. In 2013, Florida swept Georgia Tech to reach the Round of 16.

#5 Florida (22-3) vs. #24 Georgia Tech (17-9)

Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m.

Scott Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex

Live Stats: http://www.gatorzone.com/tennis/live/?sport=tennw&live_match=12921

Tickets: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/gators/EN/buy/browse?g%5B0%5D=15854

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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