The top-ranked University of Florida women’s tennis team juggled its lineup and continued its winning ways, sweeping Mississippi State, 7-0, on a warm Sunday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The Gator victory was the team’s 20th consecutive regular-season win against a Southeastern Conference opponent, as well as its 99th straight regular-season triumph on its home courts.
“It was really good to play at home,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “I feel like we’ve been traveling here, there and everywhere so it’s really nice to play at home in front of our fans and in this weather. It makes us better. Overall, I saw some real positives. Number one singles was a great match; their player is really good and it was good for Allie to play with someone who plays with that kind of pace. I thought we did a good job the rest of the way taking care of business. We lost three games in three sets only in singles so overall, you have to be pleased with that.”
Florida (17-1, 6-0 SEC) won the doubles point and took a quick 2-0 lead in the team scoring when MSU’s Jordan Zachary retired 27 minutes into her No. 6 singles match against Brittany Borsanyi (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), who won the first set 6-0.
Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium) was impressive in her 6-1, 6-0 victory against Vivian Pietraroia on court 6, where the Gator sophomore won nine of the final 10 points in the match and notched her ninth consecutive singles win that gave Florida a 3-0 lead. Pietraroia denied Hitimana the double-bagel win when she held serve in the fourth game of the opening set.
Junior Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) play a career-high number 2 in the dual match singles lineup and looked strong in her 6-1, 6-0 victory against Mariia Ryzhova, needing just 61 minutes to close out the match and provide the clinching team victory.
Freshman Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) also played a season-high position in the lineup and proved equally successful, as she knocked off Danielle Terpko, 6-3, 6-2, at the number three spot in 70 minutes. The young Gator didn’t lose a point in three of the last four games of the match.
Freshman Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) finished her No. 4 singles match one minute later, posting a 6-3, 6-1 decision over Olesya Tsigvintseva. The win for the Gator rookie was her ninth consecutive.
The final match of the day featured sophomore Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) in a tough battle against Alexandra Perper, but Will fought for the 6-2, 6-3 victory, overcoming breaks off her last two services games, to capture her fifth consecutive singles win and provide the finishing touches on the Gator sweep.
The Gators collected the doubles point in 41 minutes, when Florida earned victories on courts 2 and 1, and later winning the tiebreak of court 3 to complete the doubles sweep against the Bulldogs (2-10, 0-6 SEC).
Florida changed up its doubles lineup a bit, as Lauren Embree and Joanna Mather took their spot at the No. 1 position instead of their usual place on court 2. The rise in competition didn’t seen to matter much as the pair provided the clinching doubles victory against Alexandra Perper and Olesya Tsigvintseva, 8-4, and won its 13th consecutive match. The first few games were on-serve before the Gators broke for a 3-1 lead. MSU broke back in the seventh game, but Embree and Mather returned the favor in the next game and Mather held for the 6-3 advantage. Neither team held on its next trip to the baseline, but the Gators earned one final break and took the victory.
Olivia Janowicz and Allie Will teamed together for the first time, but fans couldn’t tell as they raced to an 8-1 victory at the No. 2 spot against Mariia Ryzhova and Jordan Zachary in 35 minutes to produce the first individual result of the dual match. The Bulldogs held serve in the sixth game to prevent the bagel.
There was a tight battle on court 3, where Caroline Hitimana and Sofie Oyen eventually produced an 8-7 (7-2) victory against Danielle Terpko and Vivian Pietraroia. After early breaks by both teams during the first four games, the rest of the match remaining on-serve and since Florida had already clinched the doubles point the decision was made to play a tiebreak at 7-all. MSU won the first point of the tiebreak and held a mini-break with a 2-1 lead, but Hitimana and Oyen ripped off the final six points and collected the win.
Florida returns to action on Wed., March 30, when the Gators play host to No. 9 Baylor, with first-serve scheduled for 2:30 p.m. This match was originally slated for February 5th, but the Bears’ travel problems due to weather forced its postponement.
Admission to all regular-season home matches is free.
Mississippi State at No. 1 Florida
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Final Score: Florida 7, Mississippi State 0
Doubles
1. Lauren Embree/Joanna Mather, UF d. Alexandra Perper/Olesya Tsigvintseva, MSU, 8-4*
2. Olivia Janowicz/Allie Will, UF d. Mariia Ryzhova/Jordan Zachary, MSU, 8-1
2. Olivia Janowicz/Allie Will, UF d. Mariia Ryzhova/Jordan Zachary, MSU, 8-1
3. Caroline Hitimana/Sofie Oyen, UF d. Danielle Terpko/Vivian Pietraroia, MSU, 8-7 (2)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1. #7 Allie Will, UF d. Alexandra Perper, MSU, 6-2, 6-3
2. #26 Joanna Mather, UF d. Mariia Ryzhova, MSU, 6-1, 6-0
3. #45 Alex Cercone, UF d. Danielle Terpko, MSU, 6-3, 6-2
4. #35 Olivia Janowicz, UF d. Olesya Tsigvintseva, MSU, 6-3, 6-1
5. Caroline Hitimana, UF d. Vivian Pietraroia, MSU, 6-1, 6-0
6. Brittany Borsanyi, UF d. Jordan Zachary, MSU, 6-0, retired
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 2*, 3, 4, 1
Updated Records: Florida 17-1, 6-0 SEC; Mississippi State 2-10, 0-6 SEC
