The
second-ranked University of Florida women’s tennis team competed on the road
for the first time this season and dropped its first dual match, falling to
fourth-ranked Duke, 4-0, at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in Durham, N.C.
The
loss halted the Gator’s overall win streak at 25, dating back to last year when
the team lost 5-2 at Stanford on Feb. 12, 2012. That also was the last time
Florida (3-1) dropped the doubles point, which it did on Sunday, as Duke (7-1)
captured wins on courts three and two, with the clincher decided in a tiebreak.
“We
had plenty of chances to win the doubles point and we won four first sets in
singles,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “Duke was the better
team at the end of sets. They played with great passion and had a great crowd. I
thought they were the better team today. Our job now is to forget it and play
again tomorrow at a high level. Even though we lost this one, this trip is
exactly what we need. We need quality opponents. Our team will continue to
improve with these quality matches that we’re playing.”
The
Gators will need to regroup quickly, as they play at No. 1 North Carolina on
Monday in Raleigh at 2 p.m.
Florida’s
Lauren Embree and Sofie Oyen did capture an 8-4 against Duke’s
seventh-ranked Mary Clayton and Ester Goldfeld on court one after the Blue Devils
began the match with an 8-4 decision on court three. In the deciding
doubles-point match, Alexandra Cercone and Brianna Morgan held a
6-4 lead before Annie Mulholland and Marianne Jodoin won three straight games
to take the 7-6 lead. The teams then held in the next three games en route to
the tiebreak that Duke won 7-3.
Florida
jumped out and won the first game on all six singles courts, with Embree, Cercone,
Morgan and Olivia Janowicz able to win their respective first sets.
Duke,
however, took a 2-0 lead in the team scoring when Monica Turewicz defeated Danielle
Collins, 6-4, 7-5 on court four.
Court
two was the next to finish and Ester Goldfeld knocked off Oyen, 6-4, 7-5, and
gave the Blue Devils a 3-0 advantage.
With
Embree and Morgan just dropping their second sets and their matches entering a
third, Marianna Jodoin was able to hand Janowicz a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 loss and
clinch the win for Duke.
Women’s
College Tennis
No.
2 Florida at No. 4 Duke
Sheffield
Indoor Tennis Center
Durham,
N.C.
Sunday,
February 17, 2013
Final
Score:
Duke 4, Florida 0
