The second-ranked University of Florida women’s tennis team overcame some unusual circumstances and a feisty Miami team to present head coach Roland Thornqvist his 300th career victory when the Gators took down the ninth-ranked Hurricanes, 4-1, in the round of 16 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
There were two long stoppages during the dual match because of lighting issues inside the Boar’s Head Sports Club, both lasted more than 20 minutes and forced the competitors to warm up a second and third time before being able to continue play.
Prior to the delays, Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) teamed and won their eighth consecutive doubles match together and clinched the doubles point for Florida (8-0) with an 8-4 win against Melissa Bolivar and Gabriela Mejia, shortly after the freshman tandem of Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) and Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) defeated Brittany Dubins and Bistra Otashliyska, 8-2, in the first decision of the day.
The Gators then turned their attention to the singles court, where Janowicz snapped a tough three-match slide and earned an impressive 6-1, 6-4 win against Dubins that gave Florida a 2-0 lead. Janowicz broke and held for an early 4-1 lead in the second. She broke again and held for a 5-1 advantage, before Dubins started to battle back. The Gator rookie was able to settle and served out in the 10th game for the victory.
The Hurricanes (5-1) collected their first team point when Danielle Mills downed Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium), 6-1, 7-6 (3), at the No. 3 position, where the Gator rookie was serving at 6-5 in the second, but couldn’t hold and Mills forced a tiebreak and eventually the win.
The remaining four matches on court all went to a third set, with Florida’s Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.), Mather and Cercone winning the first set at spots No. 1, 4 and 5, respectively, while Embree found herself on the short end of a 6-3 opening frame on court two.
Embree battled back and forced a deciding third set against Anna Bartenstein, while the momentum had switched in favor of the ‘Canes on the other three courts.
Against Eichkorn, ranked No. 10 in the country, seventh-ranked Will was able to come out on top of a three-break trend midway through the third set and held for a 5-2 lead. The Hurricane also held, but Will served out for the 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory to notch her seventh consecutive singles win and more importantly give Florida a 3-1 lead.
Mather’s match seemed to be the last that would finish, as the baselines continued to play long games. The Gator junior opened the deciding third with a break and road that before collecting another in the fifth game and held for a 5-1 lead. She later served out to post her seventh straight win on the singles court and provided the clinching victory.
“We had a lot of changes where we could have been off the court much quicker, but we let it get closer. Overall, we fought really hard,” Thornqvist said. “The first round of Indoors is always tough, there are nerves and the conditions are a little different than what you are used to. This was a good win today and we’re looking forward to playing a tough Clemson team on Saturday.”
The Gators continue action on Saturday at 9 a.m. in the quarterfinals, where they face 12th-ranked Clemson, which upset seventh-ranked UCLA, 4-3, on Friday.
Friday’s win improved Thornqvist’s 15-year career record to 300-79, which includes an impressive 225-29 record in 10 years at Florida.
“Winning 300 matches means two things: I’ve had great help along the way – Coach Dave Balogh is the best in the business and my co-captain here; I’ve also been blessed with some very talented and tough players, just like the ones on this year’s team,” Thornqvist shared. “You have that combination and you can coach for a long time and the wins will come. Three hundred wins is a credit to a lot of other people besides me.”
The remaining two matches on court when play was halted when the Gators clinched the team victory were even at 5-all in the third.
ITA National Team Indoor Championships – Round of 16
Boar’s Head Sports Club * Charlottesville, Va.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Final Score: Florida 4, Miami (Fla.) 1
Doubles
1. #1 Sofie Oyen/Allie Will, UF led #42 Anna Bartenstein/Bianca Eichkorn, UM, 7-3 DNF
2. #30 Lauren Embree/Joanna Mather, UF d. Melissa Bolivar/Gabriela Mejia, UM, 8-4*
3. Alex Cercone/Olivia Janowicz, UF d. Brittany Dubins/Bistra Otashliyska, UM, 8-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2*
Singles
1. #7 Allie Will, UF d. #10 Bianca Eichkorn, UM, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. #36 Lauren Embree, UF vs. #63 Anna Bartenstein, UM, 3-6, 6-4, 5-5 DNF
3. Danielle Mills, UM d. Sofie Oyen, UF, 6-1, 7-6 (3)
4. #19 Joanna Mather, UF d. Melissa Bolivar, UM, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2*
5. #40 Alex Cercone, UF vs. #115 Gabriela Mejia, UM, 6-1, 2-6, 5-5 DNF
6. #31 Olivia Janowicz, UF d. Brittany Dubins, UM, 6-1, 6-4
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 1, 4*
