TULSA, Okla. – A doubles team from the University of Florida is into the NCAA Doubles Final for the first time in 15 years. Sophomore
Brooke Austin and junior
Kourtney Keegan advanced to the NCAA Doubles Final with a victory over UCLA's No. 7-ranked Harrison and McPhillips on Sunday afternoon.
After weather forced the contest indoors at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla., the No. 3-ranked duo began trading service holds with Harrison and McPhillips. The UCLA tandem took the first break to take a 3-2 lead in the first set. The Bruins would hold and break again to push their lead to 5-2. Austin and
Keegan would take the next two games, but a hold from the UCLA tandem would give them a 6-4 first set win.
The second set began similar to the first with seven straight holds, but a Gator break gave Austin and Keegan a 5-3 advantage. Keegan would hold serve to win the set and force a third set tiebreaker. Florida and UCLA would be tied at 5-all in the third set only to see the Gators pull away in the match. The Orange and Blue would win five straight games, including a stellar drop volley at the net from the Roswell, Ga. junior to take the match and punch UF's tickets to the finals.
The Florida duo is the first Gator tandem to play for a NCAA Doubles Championship since 2001 when Whitney Laiho and Jessica Lehnoff won Florida's last individual championship.
Up next, the Gator tandem will play one last match in the 2016 season on Monday afternoon. Austin and Keegan will face Cal's No. 4-ranked Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr. The UF duo defeated Manasse and Starr in the regular season, 6-4 in Berkeley. The match will be broadcast live on NCAA.com
DOUBLES
No. 3 Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan (3)
Semifinal Result: def. No. 7 Harrison/McPhillips (UCLA) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5)
Final Opponent: No. 4 Manasse/Starr (Cal)
Match Time: TBD
Austin/Keegan Career Doubles Record: 58-13
2015-16 Doubles Record: 32-7
NCAA Doubles Appearance: Austin: Second, Keegan: Third
Quotes from Tulsa
Sophomore Brooke Austin
On dropping first set then bouncing back in second set to force tie-breaker…
"In the first set we really didn't play a bad set, they played really well and were crossing a lot and putting a lot of pressure on us and they just played a better set than us. I think we knew at the beginning of the second set that we needed to have a good start and we won the first game. I think from then on we agreed 'okay we can do this' and the momentum shifted in our favor and we tried to make sure it stayed in our favor.
On second year of two-year experience together in doubles…
"I think last year was definitely a year to figure each other out and this year was so much different because we knew what to expect from each other and have total confidence in each other and know what each other can do. That has definitely helped and we communicate so much better and we know how the other person will react to certain things so we are more aware of that now and I think that has definitely helped us this year."
On being aggressive early in tie-breaker…
"You have to play aggressive, especially when you're playing inside and you're playing a team that has Catherine Harrison on it who, you saw how hard she hits the ball, so you have to be aggressive or else you're going to get killed just because the courts are so fast. So, obviously we knew that we had to be aggressive and I think that we stuck to that game plan really well."
Junior Kourtney Keegan
On bouncing back after losing the first set…
"Obviously with this format it's the first year where we've played where you have to win a set and then it's a ten point tiebreaker. A lot of it is about momentum. After the first set we talked to each other and said that we played a great set, but they just played better than us. We knew that we had to raise our level just a little bit. Not to do anything anymore special than we did in the first set, and we were able to bounce back and get the break in the second set."
On getting to this point last year, but not making it to the finals....
"Last year was heartbreaking. In the third set we were up 4-1, 30-0 and we weren't able to conclude it. I think that being in the back of our minds kind of pushed us forward today, even in the tiebreaker. We knew we didn't want it to happen again and we were able to pull through."
On being aggressive in match tie-breaker…
"Especially indoors, when you play the ball goes a lot faster so you have to get the momentum first, be the first person to move, make a lot of first serves, and you have to make a lot of returns. That sets the pace for the rest of the tiebreaker."
2016 NCAA Tournament Central
Women's Doubles Bracket
Live Scoring/Video
Follow the Gators:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
