Second-ranked Florida fell just short of knocking off top-ranked Stanford in the final of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships and dropped the hard-fought 4-2 decision at the Boar’s Head Sports Club on Monday.
For the first time in 11 dual matches this season Florida (10-1) lost the doubles point and found itself trailing and it proved to be a deciding factor in the Gators’ first loss of the 2011 campaign.
With Stanford (11-0) holding a 3-2 lead in the team scoring the last two singles matches were in a third set and Florida needed both to out the victory. The momentum swung both directions.
On court No. 1 Florida sophomore Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) was battling senior Hilary Barte and won the first set, before the third-ranked Cardinal senior earned a break in the eighth and 10th games of the second and forced a third frame, which was on-serve after the two traded breaks early. The seventh-ranked Will had the early upper-hand late in the deciding set when she broke in the ninth game and was serving with a 5-4 lead. Barte again broke back and held as the set eventually headed to a tiebreak.
Meanwhile, Gator freshman Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) fought back and forced a third set against senior Stacey Tan, who broke in the 12-th game of the opening set to put the pressure on the youngster. Cercone regrouped quickly by taking a 4-1 lead in the second set, as the final five games were breaks and Cercone kept the No. 5 match alive. Cercona and Tan held through the first six games, before Tan struck first with a break in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead in the deciding third. Cercone broke right back, but couldn’t hold and Tan was able to serve out to provide the clinching dual match win, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
“Although we’re young, we’re very talented. Over the last couple of weeks we’ve played the best teams in the country and our freshmen have really learned a lot,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “A dual match can come down to a handful of points. Stanford is a classy champion and they deserve all the credit they get. Hopefully we can get another crack at the jewel in May (the NCAA Championships).”
Sophomore and 36th-ranked Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) provided Florida its first victory of the dual match when she defeated 22nd-ranked Mallory Burdette, 6-4, 6-4. Embree earned one early break in the second and road that to her eighth consecutive singles win against the Cardinal that broke Florida’s heart with her three-set win against former Gator senior Marrit Boonstra in the deciding match of the 2010 NCAA Team Championships that Stanford took, 4-3.
Freshman Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) then took down senior Carolyn McVeigh, 6-1, 6-1, on court No. 6 and gave Florida a 2-1 lead in the dual match.
Stanford evened the team score when Kristie Ahn won the battle of the freshmen on court three against Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belguim), 6-4, 6-2.
Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) then lost a tough 7-6 (2), 6-3 decision to Nicole Gibbs at the No. 4 position, as the Gators trailed 3-2.
Will’s match against Barte was halted with the Cardinal senior holding a 5-2 lead in the third-set tiebreak. Will won the first set, 6-2, but dropped the second 6-4.
In doubles Florida’s team of Embree and Mather captured an 8-2 win against Ahn and Gibbs, but the Gators fell at other two courts and dropped the doubles point.
“I thought we could have played a little better in doubles and didn’t handle losing the doubles point as well as we could have,” Thornqvist said. “After about the first 30 minutes or so into singles play, I really felt good with our position. We were ahead on four courts. Our kids play with high character. They played through some injuries this week and fought through it. We have a championship in us. We will learn from today and get better as a result.”
Florida takes a week break from competition and returns to action on Tue., March 1, when the squad travels to Tallahassee and plays Florida State beginning at 4:30 p.m.
