The No. 3 Florida women’s tennis team earned an impressive 4-0 victory against South Carolina State in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships at Linder Stadium at the Ring Tennis Complex Friday afternoon.
The Gators (25-2) started slow in doubles, but quickly turned things around, winning the doubles point and capturing the first 34 games played on the singles courts en route to earning a second-round matchup against Washington on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Huskies (12-6) swept Utah, 4-0, in their first-round match.
Florida, which improved to 12-0 all-time in NCAA Round of 64 matches, lost its serve on two of the three doubles courts to begin play before regrouping. The No. 2 tandem of Lauren Embree and Joanna Mather held to start their match against the team of Laura Bosneag and Beate Valdmane, which also held to even the match. The Gators proved too tough and ripped off the final seven games, needing just 38 minutes to give UF its first win of the NCAA Championships.
Marrit Boonstra and Allie Will traded breaks to start their match against Daria Sekerina and Maria Craciun on the showcase court. Boonstra held in the third game and the Gators were off and running, as Will capped the 8-1 victory by holding at love in the final game to clinch the doubles point.
Florida didn’t duplicate its slow start when singles action began, as the Gators combined to win the first 34 games played, before South Carolina State (13-6) got on the board by winning the sixth game on court No. 3. By the time the Bulldogs won that first game, Will, Mather and Claire Bartlett had wrapped up their respective first sets, 6-0, en route to notching a trio of double-bagel victories and securing the Gators’ 18th consecutive dual match win.
“We fought, we focused and we were able to win those games and that just shows you how focused we were,” Florida coach Roland Thornqvist said. “If we continue to play focused like that, then we’ll be a tough team to beat.”
The on-court temperature at the start of the match was 93 degrees.
For Will, her 6-0, 6-0 victory on court No. 2 against Fanni Fricska was her 24th straight singles win, as she improved to 24-0 in dual matches, as well as 44-3 overall. Mather tallied her first double-bagel singles win of the season, as she earned the shutout over Sarai Torres in 49-minutes on the No. 4 court.Barlett faced I-Chun Amy Chen at the No. 6 spot and posted her second double-bagel victory, while needing just 46 minutes to win her 11th consecutive singles match.
Embree, Anastasia Revzina and Caroline Hitimana led their respective singles matches on courts No. 1, 3 and 5, with all holding a 3-1 lead in the second set when play was abandoned.
For the second time this season, Florida will play a team coached by a former Gator great. Jill (Hetherington) Hultquist, who on Friday earned her 50th win in her fifth year as the Huskies head coach, was one of the all-time great letterwinners in Gator history, playing from 1984-87. She earned All-America honors each of her four years and was inducted into the UF Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. On Jan. 27, Florida battled UCF, coached by Stephanie Nickitas (1996-99), earning a 6-1 victory. Hultquist’s 91.1-career doubles winning percentage (113-11) remains the all-time standard in Florida history, followed by Nickitas’ 89.5-winning percentage (128-15). Her 113 doubles wins, which were the most in program history when she graduated, currently rank as the sixth most on the career chart.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
GAINESVILLE REGIONAL / University of Florida / Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex / Friday, May 14 first-round matches
No. 29 WASHINGTON 4, No. 40 UTAH 0
SINGLES
1. (15) Venise Chan (W) vs. (95) Anastasia Putilina (U), 6-3, 4-2, DNF; 2. (10) Denise Dy (W) def. Evgenia Kryuchkova, 6-0, 6-0 (0:51); 3. Joyce Ardies (W) def. Erin Monson, 6-0, 6-1 (1:13); 4. Lina Xu (W) vs. Lisa Johnson (U), 2-6, 1-4, DNF; 5. Samantha Smith (W) def. Paige Miles, 6-0, 6-1 (1:07); 6. Aleksandra Malovic (W) vs. Andrea Maughan (U), 6-4, 1-0, DNF. Order of finish: 2, 5, 3.
DOUBLES
1. (21) Denise Dy-Joyce Ardies (W) def. Anastasia Putilina-Paige Miles, 8-4 (1:04); 2. Lina Xu-Venise Chan (W) vs. Erin Monson-Andrea Maughan (U), 6-7, DNF; 3. Samantha Smith-Aleksandra Malovic (W) def. Evgenia Kryuchkova-Lisa Johnson, 8-3 (0:45). Order of finish: 3, 1, DNF. Washington wins doubles point, 2-0.
Records: Washington 12-6, Utah 17-8.
No. 3 FLORIDA 4, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 0
SINGLES
1. (9) Lauren Embree (F) vs. Daria Sekerina (SCS), 6-0, 3-1 DNF; 2. (8) Allie Will (F) def. Fanni Fricska, 6-0, 6-0 (0:51); 3. (102) Anastasia Revzina (F) vs. Maria Craciun (SCS), 6-1, 2-1 DNF; 4. Joanna Mather (F) def. Sarai Torres (SCS), 6-0, 6-0 (0:49); (107) 5. Caroline Hitimana (F) vs. Laura Bosneag (SCS), 6-0, 2-1 DNF; 6. Claire Bartlett (F) def. I-Chun Amy Chen, 6-0, 6-0 (0:46). Order of finish: 4, 2, 6.
DOUBLES
1. (5) Marrit Boonstra-Allie Will (F) def. Daria Sekerina-Maria Craciun, 8-1 (0:37); 2. (29) Lauren Embree-Joanna Mather (F) def. Beate Valdmane-Laura Bosneag, 8-1 (0:38); 3. Caroline Hitimana-Anastasia Revzina (F) vs. Sarai Torres-I-Chun Amy Chen (SCS), 7-2, DNF. Order of finish: 2, 1. Florida wins doubles point, 2-0.
Records: Florida 25-2, South Carolina State 13-6. Next: Second-round match, Washington (12-6) vs. Florida (25-2), 3 p.m. Saturday. Winner advances to NCAA Round of 16 in Athens, Ga.
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY / Waco, Texas / Baylor Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Tulsa 4, North Texas 2
(1) Baylor 4, Northwestern State 0
Saturday, May 15
(1) Baylor (28-2) vs. Tulsa (22-5), 4 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA / Chapel Hill, N.C. / Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
UNLV 4, Virginia Commonwealth 3
(2) North Carolina 4, Richmond 0
Saturday, May 15
(2) North Carolina (27-4), 11 a.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA / Gainesville, Fla. / Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Friday, May 14
Washington 4, Utah 0
(3) Florida 4, South Carolina State 0
Saturday, May 15
(3) Florida (25-2) vs. Washington (12-6), 3 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN / Ann Arbor, Mich. / Varsity Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Ohio State 4, DePaul 1
(4) Michigan 4, Illinois-Chicago 0
Saturday, May 15
(4) Michigan (23-4) vs. Ohio State (20-9), 1 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME / South Bend, Ind. / Courtney Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Boise State 4, Iowa 1
(5) Notre Dame 4, IPFW 0
Saturday, May 15
(5) Notre Dame (24-3) vs. Boise State (23-5), 12 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY / Evanston, Ill. / Vandy Christie Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
(6) Northwestern 4, Miami (Ohio) 0
Nebraska 4, Illinois 2
Saturday, May 15
(6) Northwestern (22-6) vs. Nebraska (22-5), 1 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UCLA / Los Angeles, Calif. / Los Angeles Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Arizona State 4, St. Mary’s, Calif. 1
(7) UCLA 4, Army 0
Saturday, May 15
(7) UCLA (20-3) vs. Arizona State (14-5), 6 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
STANFORD UNIVERSITY / Stanford, Calif. / Taube Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Southern Methodist 4, Pepperdine 1
(8) Stanford 4, Fairfield 0
Saturday, May 15
(8) Stanford (21-1) vs. Southern Methodist (24-4), 6 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY / Clemson, S.C. / Hoke Sloan Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Georgia 4, Harvard 0
(9) Clemson 4, College of Charleston 0
Saturday, May 15
(9) Clemson (23-5) vs. Georgia (13-8), 1 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA / Charlottesville, Va. / Snyder Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
(10) Duke 4, Long Island 0
Virginia 4, Princeton 3
Saturday, May 15
(10) Duke (20-7) vs. Virginia (15-9), 4 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI / Coral Gable, Fla. / Neil Schiff Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
South Florida 4, Texas A&M 2
(11) Miami, Fla. 4, Boston University 0
Saturday, May 15
(11) Miami, Fla. (18-5) vs. South Florida (12-7), 2 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA / Berkeley, Calif. / Hellman Tennis Complex
Friday, May 14
Southern California 4, Sacramento State 0
(12) California 4, Southern U. 0
Saturday, May 15
(12) California (19-5) vs. Southern California (14-9), 3 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE / Knoxville, Tenn. / Barksdale Stadium
Friday, May 14
Vanderbilt 4, Indiana 0
(13) Tennessee 4, Winthrop 0
Saturday, May 15
(13) Tennessee (17-8) vs. Vanderbilt (14-9), 3 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY / Atlanta, Ga. / Bill Moore Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Mississippi 4, UC Irvine 0
(14) Georgia Tech 4, Austin Peay 0
Saturday, May 15
(14) Georgia Tech (19-9) vs. Mississippi (16-5), 1 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY / Tallahassee, Fla. / Scott Speicher Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
South Carolina 4, Texas Christian 2
(15) Florida State 4, North Florida 0
Saturday, May 15
(15) Florida State (15-10) vs. South Carolina (17-8), 1 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
OKLAHOMA UNIVERSITY / Norman, Okla. / Headington Family Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
(16) Texas 4, Wichita State 0
Arkansas 4, Oklahoma 2
Saturday, May 15
(16) Texas (18-5) vs. Arkansas (18-9), 3 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
ROUND OF 16 / University of Georgia / Athens, Ga. / Dan Magill Tennis Complex / Thursday, May 20
Miami, Fla. Regional winner vs. Northwestern Regional winner, 9 a.m.
Georgia Tech Regional winner vs. Florida Regional winner, 9 a.m.
Virginia Regional winner vs. UCLA Regional winner, 12 p.m.
Florida State Regional winner vs. North Carolina Regional winner, 12 p.m.
Michigan Regional winner vs. Tennessee Regional winner, 3 p.m.
Notre Dame Regional winner vs. California Regional winner, 3 p.m.
Baylor Regional winner vs. Oklahoma Regional winner, 6 p.m.
Stanford Regional winner vs. Clemson Regional winner, 6 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS / Saturday, May 22
I: Miami Regional/Northwestern Regional winner vs. Georgia Tech Regional/Florida Regional winner, 1 p.m.
II: Virginia Regional/UCLA Regional winner vs. Florida State Regional/North Carolina Regional winner, 2 p.m.
III: Michigan Regional/Tennessee Regional winner vs. Notre Dame Regional/California Regional winner, 4 p.m.
IV: Baylor Regional/Oklahoma Regional winner vs. Stanford Regional/Clemson Regional winner, 5 p.m.
SEMIFINALS / Monday, May 24
Quarterfinal I winner vs. Quarterfinal II winner, 1 p.m.
Quarterfinal III winner vs. Quarterfinal IV winner, 2 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP / Tuesday, May 25
Semifinal winners, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
SINGLES DRAW
WEDNESDAY-MONDAY / May 26-31
Seeds 1-8
1.Irina Falconi (Georgia Tech); 2. Jana Juricova (California); 3. Maria Sanchez (Southern California); 4. Hilary Barte (Stanford); 5. Lenka Broosova (Baylor); 6. Yasmin Schnack (UCLA); 7. Allie Will (Florida); 8. Laura Vallverdu (Miami, Fla.)
Seeds 9-16 (alphabetical)
Venise Chan (Washington), Denise Dy (Washington), Lauren Embree (Florida), Kristy Frilling (Notre Dame), Chelsey Gullickson (Georgia), Maria Mosolova (Northwestern), Anastasia Petukhova (Fresno State), Caitlin Whoriskey (Tennessee)
17-64 (alphabetical)
Mari Andersson (California), Selma Babic (Long Island), Josipa Bek (Clemson), Kristi Boxx (Mississippi), Lutfiana Budiharto (Wichita State), Mallory Burdette (Stanford), Holly Cao (Harvard), Fani Chifchieva (Auburn), Marina Cossou (California), Bianca Eichkorn (Miami, Fla.), Aeriel Ellis (Texas), Nadine Fahoum (Old Dominion), Nadja Gilchrist (Georgia), Alexa Guarachi (Alabama), Lindsey Hardenbergh (Virginia), Zaruhi Harutyunyan (Akron), Micaela Hein (Arizona State), Jennifer Heinser (San Francisco), Noelle Hickey (UCLA), McCall Jones (Brigham Young), Michaela Kissell (Marshall), Danielle Lao (Southern California), Marta Lesniak (Southern Methodist), Sanaz Marand (North Carolina), Lauren McCreless (Florida State), Nina Munch-Soegaard (Texas Christian), Denise Muresan (Michigan), Samantha Murray (Northwestern), Diana Nakic (Georgia State), Kristina Nedeltcheva (UNLV), Catherine Newman (Vanderbilt), Ellah Nze (Duke), Martina Pavelec (Wake Forest), Elzé Potgieter (Texas A&M), Alison Ramos (Southern California), Irene Rehberger (South Florida), Andrea Remynse (UCLA), Martina Rubesova (Northwestern State), Ute Schnoy (Denver), Nina Secerbegovic (Baylor), Pichittra Thongdach (Boise State), Anouk Tigu (Arkansas), Katrina Tsang (North Carolina), Nazari Urbina (Texas A&M), Jenifer Widjaja (Pacific), Jackie Wu (Vanderbilt), Reka Zsilinszka (Duke), Ana Zubori (South Carolina).
Alternates
1. Elisabeth Fournier (Washington State); 2. Monica Milewski (Colorado); 3. Liudmila Vasilieva (Washington State); 4. Maria Sorbello (Tennessee); 5. Krista Damico (Texas); 6. Julia Trunk (San Diego State); 7. Marrit Boonstra (Florida).
DOUBLES DRAW
WEDNESDAY-MONDAY / May 26-31
Seeds 1-4
1. Caitlin Whoriskey-Natalie Pluskota (Tennessee); 2. Lindsay Burdette-Hilary Barte (Stanford); 3. Kristy Frilling-Kali Krisik (Notre Dame); 4. Andrea Remynse-Yasmin Schnack (UCLA).
Seeds 5-8 (alphabetically by school)
Josipa Bek-Ina Hadziselimovic (Clemson); Marrit Boonstra-Allie Will (Florida); Chelsey Gullickson-Nadja Gilchrist (Georgia); Gabriela Mejia-Laura Vallverdu (Miami, Fla.).
9-32 (alphabetically by school)
Alexa Guarachi-Courtney McLane (Alabama); Lenka Broosova-Csilla Borsanyi (Baylor); Lauren Megale-Pichittra Thongdach (Boise State); Mari Andersson-Jana Juricova (California); Suzie Matzenauer-Brittany Blalock (Cal Poly); Holly Dowse-Emma Hayman (College of Charleston); Sophia Bergner-Ute Schnoy (Denver); Anna Redecsi-Selma Salkovic (DePaul); Irina Falconi-Sasha Krupina (Georgia Tech); Sonja Molnar-Merel Beelen (Iowa); Michaela Kissell-Dominica Zaprazna (Marshall); Whitney Taney-Rika Tatsuno (Michigan); Karen Nijssen-Kristi Boxx (Mississippi); Sophie Grabinski-Sanaz Marand (North Carolina); Lauren Lui-Elena Chernyakova (Northwestern); Nadine Fahoum-Joanna Dobrowolska (Old Dominion); Taylor Marable-Hilary Bartlett (Princeton); Ana Zubori-Dijana Stojic (South Carolina); Melissa Koning-Irene Rehberger (South Florida); Valentina Galbarini-Carolina de los Santos (Stetson); Katariina Tuohimaa-Kayla Duncan (Texas Christian); Sasha Kulikova-Kathryn Talbert (Wake Forest); Denise Dy-Joyce Ardies (Washington); Delia Damaschin-Stephanie Dalmacio (Wichita State).
Alternates
1. Caitlin Whoriskey-Maria Sorbello (Tennessee); 2. Lauren Embree-Allie Will (Florida); 3. Lauren Embree-Anastasia Revzina (Florida); 4. Ina Hadziselimovic-Keri Wong (Clemson); 5. Rosalia Alda-Zsofia Zubor (Tennessee); 6. Katrina Tsang-Shinann Featherston (North Carolina); 7. Amanda Granson-Ellah Nze (Duke); 8. Chelsea Preeg-Jackie Wu (Vanderbilt); 9. Elzé Potgieter-Nazari Urbina (Texas A&M); 10. Bianca Eichkorn-Anna Bartenstein (Miami, Fla.).