Florida Gators

MORAGA, Calif. – Florida returned to the court for the first time in 12 days and showed a little rust on the doubles court but regrouped for singles play and earned a 4-3 victory against Saint Mary's at the Timothy Korth Tennis Complex Friday.
 
The win snapped a two-match slide for the Gators, while halting the Gaels' four-match win streak.
 
Florida won the first individual match of the day with the doubles team of Anna Danilina and Victoria Emma upsetting No. 35 Mariia Kozyreva and Hind Abdelouahid, 6-0
 
Saint Mary's came back with a win on court three, setting the stage for the clincher at the No. 2 spot, as the hosts captured the tough 7-5 decision and the initial team point.
 
Florida came out fast and focused at the start of singles play, winning the first set on five of the six courts.
 
Freshman McCartney Kessler got the Gators on the board with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Kareena Manji.
 
The Gaels kept the pressure on after taking court one and followed with another on court six for a 3-1 lead in the team scoring.
 
Senior Josie Kuhlman began the Gator comeback with a 6-3, 7-5 win at the two spot, before freshman Victoria Emma earned a hard-fought 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory to even the dual match at 3-all.
 
That set the stage for UF senior Peggy Porter, who remained focused through the raucous crowd and produced the clincher in three sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
 
What's Next for the Gators

• Florida continues its nine-match road swing at Stanford on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
• The Cardinal (4-2) downed UNLV Friday.

 
A Glance at Saturday's Match vs. Stanford (3-2)

• Where: Taube Family Tennis Stadium • Stanford, Calif.

• Series: Stanford holds the 21-16 advantage in the series between the two national powers, including a 7-1 record at home. The Gators won both meetings last season that included 4-1 decision in the national championship match.
• Impressive: Six of the last eight NCAA Championships have been won by these two teams.
• Team Ranking: The Cardinal are ranked No. 36 in the current ITA national rankings.
• Individual Rankings: Singles – Michaela Gordon is No. 19, Emily Arbuthnott is No. 31; Doubles –  Arbuthnott and Gordon are No. 1
• Of Note: This will be the first-ever meeting when neither team is ranked in the top-25 of the national rankings.
• Live Scoring: http://streamingtennis.com/Cardinal/?DB_OEM_ID=30600

 
A Glance at the Gators (4-4)

• On the Road: Saturday's match represents Florida's seventh consecutive road match and is just 2-4 in those contests.

• Team Ranking: The Gators have fallen out of the top-50 of the current ITA national rankings.
• Individual Rankings: Singles – Anna Danilina is No. 9, Josie Kuhlman is No. 46, Victoria Emma is No. 100; Doubles – Danilina and Emma are No. 51
• Of Note: Florida's six-member roster features three seniors and three true freshmen.

 
Quoting UF Coach Roland Thornqvist:
"We played well against a really good Saint Mary's team with a real enthusiastic crowd that we had to navigate. It was a great atmosphere. Their men's team did a great job cheering them on.
 
"I don't think we played very well in doubles but we stormed out of the gates and handled our first sets in singles really well. The crowd got into it and I think helped turned some second sets around but we showed great poise and regained the momentum in the third sets. Peggy (Porter) was absolutely clinical in her way of clinching the match for us.
 
"That's huge for (Peggy's) confidence level, any time you can clinch a match with everybody's eyes on you. It's a great achievement. It wasn't just that she won, but the way she won. She really handled herself well. She made great decisions and played with confidence. I think it was a great way for us to win.
 
"We have to do better in doubles tomorrow. We were way too flat so we have to come with more steam."
 
Match 8 at a Glance
Who: Florida at Saint Mary's
Where: Timothy Korth Tennis Complex • Moraga, Calif.
When: Friday, February 23, 2018
Final Score: Florida def. Saint Mary's, 4-3
 
Singles
1. Mariia Kozyreva (SMC) d. #9 Anna Danilina (UF) 6-4, 6-4
2. #46 Josie Kuhlman (UF) d. Hind Abdelouahid (SMC) 6-3, 7-5
3. #100 Victoria Emma (UF) d. Clementine Clement (SMC) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
4. McCartney Kessler (UF) d. Kareena Manji (SMC) 6-3, 6-3
5. Peggy Porter (UF) d. Emma Critser (SMC) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2*
6. Vanessa Nommensen (SMC) d. Katie Kubicz (UF) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
 
Doubles
1. #51 Danilina/Emma (UF) d. #35 Kozyreva/Abdelouahid (SMC) 6-0
2. Manji/Critser (SMC) d. Kessler/Kuhlman (UF) 7-5*
3. Aubane Ville/Clement (SMC) d. Kubicz/Porter (UF) 6-1
 
Order of Finish: Singles (4, 1, 6, 2, 3, 5) Doubles (1, 3, 2)
 
 
Gator Pronunciations

• Dave BALOGH (Associate Head Coach): BAY-log
• Anna Danilina: ON-nah don-uh-LEE-nah
• Josie Kuhlman: COOL-mun

 
 
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