Florida Gators
#24 Georgia Tech
Florida Reaches NCAA Round of 16, Takes Down Georgia Tech, 4-0
Saturday, May 9, 2015 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It's on to Waco, Texas and the Round of 16 for the Gators after No. 5 Florida swept No. 24 Georgia Tech, 4-0, in the NCAA Second Round in their last home match of the season on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
The Gators will take on the winner of a Second Round match between No. 27 Arizona St. and the winner of the First Round match between No. 12 Oklahoma St. and Boston University on Friday, May 15 in Waco, Texas, at 5 p.m. at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center.
Florida got off to a hot start in doubles as Josie Kuhlman and Belinda Woolcock improved to 2-0 in NCAA action as a tandem with an 8-2 win at No. 2. No. 6-ranked Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan closed out Megan Kurey and Alexa Anton Ohlmeyer of Georgia Tech with a Keegan ace to clinch the doubles point and claim their first NCAA doubles win as a pairing.
Woolcock carried her winning ways into singles play and put the Gators ahead, 2-0, with a convincing 6-1, 6-0 win, her fourth-straight, over Megan Kurey, who entered the match riding an eight-match winning streak. Fresh off singles wins from Friday's First Round win over Bethune-Cookman, junior Brianna Morgan and freshman Josie Kuhlman each posted their second-straight NCAA singles victories to lift the team to the 4-0 shutout. Morgan defeated Kendal Woodard, 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 3 position and No. 13-ranked Kuhlman clinched the win with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Georgia Tech's Rasheeda McAdoo.
| 2015 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship | ||||||
| Scott Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex | ||||||
| Gainesville, Fla. | ||||||
| Saturday, May 9, 2015 | ||||||
| Doubles | FLORIDA | vs | GEORGIA TECH | Winner |
| Score/match length |
| Brooke Austin (6) | Megan Kurey | |||||
| No. 1 - | Kourtney Keegan (6) | Alexa Anton Ohlmeyer | UF* | 8-5 (0:55) | ||
| Josie Kuhlman | Natasha Prokhnevska | |||||
| No. 2 - | Belinda Woolcock | Kendal Woodard | UF | 8-2 (0:53) | ||
| Spencer Liang | Rasheeda McAdoo | |||||
| No. 3 - | Peggy Porter | Johnnise Renaud | DNF | 7-7, DNF | ||
| Singles | FLORIDA | vs | GEORGIA TECH | Winner |
| Score/match length |
| No. 1 - | Brooke Austin (3) | Johnnise Renaud (101) | DNF | 4-6, 6-1, 1-0, DNF | ||
| No. 2 - | Josie Kuhlman (13) | Rasheeda McAdoo | UF* | 6-3, 6-2 (1:47) | ||
| No. 3 - | Brianna Morgan (28) | Kendal Woodard | UF | 6-2, 6-3 (1:29) | ||
| No. 4 - | Kourtney Keegan (56) | Natasha Prokhnevska | DNF | 6-4, 4-2, DNF | ||
| No. 5 - | Belinda Woolcock (58) | Megan Kurey | UF | 6-1, 6-0 (1:09) | ||
| No. 6 - | Peggy Porter | Alexa Anton Ohlmeyer | DNF | 2-6, 5-5, DNF | ||
| FINAL SCORE: | Florida – 4 | Georgia Tech – 0 | * Clinched victory | |||
| Records: | Florida 23-3 | Georgia Tech 17-10 | ||||
| Order of Finish: | Doubles: 2, 1* | Singles: 5, 3, 2* | ||||
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Quotes from the Match
Thornqvist's Thoughts – Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
Opening statement:
“I thought we played great. Our doubles play was outstanding, as Georgia Tech has outstanding doubles players and I was very pleased to see that we were the aggressive team. If we weren't, things could've been a little hairy. Our No. 3 [doubles] team was amazing because their [Georgia Tech] No. 3 team has been on fire. We had chances to put that match away, but fortunately we were able to clinch at No. 1 and 2. Our doubles play was just exceptional all weekend. Then we knew they were going to fight back in singles as they weren't going to go away. Yesterday they lost the doubles point and started off really strong in singles, so [we knew what to expect]. I thought all of our players were really determined. It was nice to get Kourtney [Keegan] back out there and take the first set. But on the courts that we finished, obviously the three that we won, I thought we took commanding leads and led basically wire-to-wire. Belinda [Woolcock] was just outstanding, as she was off the court right away that certainly helped our momentum. Overall, I think we feel really good. Our bodies, knock on wood, are really good as we're fit and really moving well. We are playing, in my mind, the best tennis we have played all year and that's certainly coming at a great time.”
On the three week layoff:
“With this team, we actually played more tennis than we normally do during those three weeks off. In my 14 years here, we had them out [on the courts] a lot. To their credit, they really bought in to it. It's really interesting, with a young team of basically freshmen and sophomores you really need to have a pulse on the team. What we didn't want was to overdo it where they didn't have the appetite for it, because when it comes to the weekend you want them ready to play. These guys always had great attitudes and wanted to come out and play. Even when we would say, 'alright, no practice today', and they're all like 'what??' So then they would go out and hit on their own anyway. It's just been that kind of team and with that attitude over the course of the three weeks, there were a few things, with the new doubles teams, that we had to practice and get used to and improve upon. But with those kind of attitudes we were able to make some significant improvements over the three weeks.”
Georgia Tech Head Coach Rodney Harmon
General thoughts on the match:
“I thought this was a really good match. Florida is a really good team and they always have great teams. I feel like they are playing really, really well. We've played a number of top teams this year. We've played North Carolina, we've played Virginia, we've played Georgia and we've played Florida. So I would say those are four teams that would be in the top eight in the country. I feel like Florida is as good as any of the other teams we've played. They have an excellent team, in singles and in doubles. They are well coached. I think going into Waco [site of NCAA Championships], they are going to be a factor. Their girls are in great shape. They ran the entire match. They are in pretty good shape to do well down in Waco. I was impressed with the way they played.
“I was happy with the way my team played. I thought they did a good job.
“For us, it's a quick turnaround because our ACC Tournament was last week and there's not much time between one and the other. We got to the finals of the ACC Tournament so we played Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We had to turnaround with very little break. And that week between for us is finals [exams] so we don't really get to practice that much. I thought we played well yesterday against a pretty tough team from Wichita State.”
On effects of Friday's long match on today's:
“To be truthful, only one of them played a long match. Our No. 1 and our No. 2 finished fast. Our No. 5 finished pretty quickly so I don't think it really had an effect. We put in a fresh player who didn't play yesterday and played today. So I don't think it had much of a factor at all. Florida is conditioned for it and is in great shape. I didn't know how they would be because they hadn't played in a while. Their SEC Tournament is a week before our ACC Tournament. They came out and played very, very well.”
Florida Sophomore Belinda Woolcock
On the confidence level on the team:
“We've definitely worked really hard, and even when we had days off, we still made the most of those days to recover mentally from some long weekends. Overall, I think we're all really happy with how we're playing. We are all staying really composed on the court because we know that we have put in the hard work and we've just been working our points really well.”
On the advice she will give to the younger players about the Sweet 16:
“I'll talk to them about the experience and the pressures of going into the NCAA [Championship]. You've got to make the most of it and you've just got to keep playing how we've been playing and don't do anything special. We just have to keep playing the way we've been training and stay confident with our abilities. Also, if we just compete and fight for every point, then in the long run that will benefit us in those matches.”
Florida Freshman Josie Kuhlman
On the confidence level on the team:
“We're all pretty confident as we've been playing really well. Since we lost in the SEC Tournament and in that match (Vanderbilt) there was nothing really to feel bad about. After that, we just came back to practice and wanted to work all the harder. So I think we are all pretty confident. We want to go far, as we're in it for that championship.”
Florida at the NCAA Championship:
Florida is making its 33rd appearance in the 34-year history of the NCAA Championship, missing only the 1986 event. UF is 104-26 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. Georgia Tech:
The Gators improved to 3-0 all-time against the Yellow Jackets (2-0 in Gainesville). All three meetings between UF and GT have occurred during postseason play at the NCAA Championship (2008, 2013, 2015). 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.
Second Round Success:
Since the NCAA expanded the field to 64 teams, the Gators are now 16-1 in the Second Round. Additionally, Florida is a perfect 17-0 in first-round matches, 28-3 in Round of 16 matches, 24-4 in the Quarterfinals, 13-11 in the Semifinals and 6-7 in the title match.
On to the Round of 16:
Florida advances to the NCAA Round of 16 for the 32nd time in program history.
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 482-25 all-time home record. UF has now produced 25 undefeated home seasons in program history.
147 and Counting:
With today's victory, UF extended its overall program-record home winning streak to 147 matches, which includes 24 wins in postseason play. The streak is the longest active home winning streak of any NCAA DI team.
Moving On Up:
Brianna Morgan's singles win moves her five wins away from 43rd place on the all-time Gator Combined Wins All-Time Total Singles and Doubles Victories list (84 overall singles wins, 37 overall doubles wins for a combined 121). Her singles win in the First Round match versus Bethune-Cookman Friday put her in sole possession of 44th place.
Keep it Going:
Brianna Morgan and Josie Kuhlman have posted singles wins for the Gators in both NCAA matches so far this season. Additionally, Kuhlman and doubles partner Belinda Woolcock have contributed doubles wins in both Florida's NCAA First Round and Second Round match.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Florida has the possibility of playing No. 12 Oklahoma State, No. 27 Arizona State or Boston University in the Round of 16. The Gators are 7-0 versus Oklahoma State, including a 2-0 mark in NCAA action. They are 6-0 all-time versus Arizona State (5-0 at the NCAA Championship) and have yet to ever face Boston University in program history.
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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