JACKSONVILLE – The No. 24 University of Florida women's tennis team recorded a 4-1 win over North Florida Saturday afternoon at the UNF Tennis Complex, notching its first road victory of the dual match season.
The Gators dropped the doubles point to begin the day, but fought back to win four straight singles matches and clinch their second win of the season.
The Gators, who improve to 2-1 when dropping the doubles point, featured a new-look doubles lineup as
Sydney Berlin and
Victoria Emma teamed up for the first time and
Ida Jarlskog and
Anastasia Kharitonova made their debut as a duo.
Marlee Zein,
Tsveta Dimitrova,
Katie Kubicz and Kharitonova all earned singles victories for UF. Zein got Florida on the board with a 6-3, 6-2 win while her classmate Kharitonova clinched the match victory with a 6-3, 6-3 from the No. 5 position.
Kubicz, making her first appearance of the dual match season, earned a pivotal win from the No. 6 spot as she battled to a 6-3, 6-3 decision.
Dimitrova, notching her second victory of the spring season, came from behind to register a 6-3, 6-3 win on court four. Emma, one of three players to return from last season's team, also made her dual match season debut.
Having not played in 18 days, the Gators struggled out of the gate as they fell in the first two doubles matches. Dimitrova and Zein, pairing up for the first time in dual match competition after registering a 4-1 record during the fall, dropped a 6-4 decision while Emma and Berlin fell short at 6-2.
After facing the early deficit, Florida flipped a switch in singles and got out to a commanding lead as all six Gators claimed victories in their opening sets.
Saturday marked the first meeting between the programs and Florida now holds a 1-0 edge in the all-time series.
The Gators return to the court Tuesday, Feb. 19 when they host in-state foe No. 20 Florida State. Match time from Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex is slated for 5 p.m as the Gators and Seminoles meet for the 60th time.
Doubles Results
Rafaela Gomez/Constanza Gorches (North Florida) def.
Tsveta Dimitrova/
Marlee Zein (Florida), 6-4 (2)
Ana Paula Melilo/Valentina Mariotto (North Florida) def.
Victoria Emma/
Sydney Berlin (Florida), 6-2 (1)
Ida Jarlskog/
Anastasia Kharitonova (Florida) def. Lucia Montano/Florencia Rossi (North Florida), 7-5 (3)
Singles Results
No. 17
Ida Jarlskog (Florida) vs. Lucia Montano (North Florida), 6-3, 4-3 (Unfinished)
Marlee Zein (Florida) def. Rafaela Gomez (North Florida), 6-3, 6-2 (1)
No. 43
Victoria Emma (Florida) vs. Valentina Mariotto (North Florida), 6-2, 5-2 (Unfinished)
Tsveta Dimitrova (Florida) def. Ana Paula Melilo (North Florida), 6-3, 6-3 (2)
Anastasia Kharitonova (Florida) def, Florencia Rossi (North Florida), 6-3, 6-3 (4)
Katie Kubicz (Florida) def. Sean Lodzki (North Florida), 6-3, 6-4 (3)
Quotes from the Court
Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
On the team's performance …
"After we dropped the doubles point, I really liked how we reset. We came out with a renewed sense of urgency in singles and this was all because of the energy we brought. Experiences like battling through the adversity we did will help us grow as a team. We were just really clinical at the end of sets, and that's something we weren't able to do the last time we played. Once we got 4-3 and 5-4 leads, we closed them out. We played a high-level and showed great focus when closing these sets out. Our discipline today was really good and we continue to improve in that aspect."
On the team's growth and mindset after a long break in between competition…
"The bottom line is that we continue to gain valuable experience. The fact that this is only our fourth match played and it's mid-February is highly unusual. But our consistency will continue to get better as we play more matches, learn from those matches and evaluate our performance. We played at a high-level in singles today and showed the talent I know we have."
On the team's play in doubles…
"We had three new doubles pairing today and that showed a little. Anytime you have brand new combinations in doubles, you're going to have to work through some things. I'm proud of the way we came together and competed though as these repetitions are very important in the long run."
On the play of Victoria Emma who played in her first dual match of the season…
"She was fantastic for us today. She always provides great and positive energy. She had been practicing at a high level, in fact she's really excelled in workouts, but getting out and competing in an actual match is completely different. She played really well out there for us today."
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