Saturday, Jan. 28th ITA Kick OFF against New Mexico University 10:00 AM

Sunday, Jan. 29th winners of Florida, New Mexico, Miami, Wake Forest TBA

Saturday Feb. 11 Florida State University 1:00 PM

Sunday Feb 12 University of Illinois 12:00 PM

Tuesday Feb 28 University of South Florida 3:00 PM

Friday March 2 University of Tennessee 5:00 PM

Sunday March 4 University of Georgia 1:00 PM

Friday March 24 Mississippi State University 5:00 PM

Friday March 30 Auburn University 5:00 PM

Sunday April 1 University of Alabama 1:00 PM

Saturday April 14 University of South Carolina 1:00 PM

Sat. & Sun May 12-13 1st and 2nd round of NCAA Tournament Site to be decided

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Univ. of Florida Communications Office

CONTACT: Kathy Cafazzo at 352-375-4683, ext. 6133

Sophomore Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the third set, forced a tiebreaker, where she overcame a 2-0 hole and earned a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory and provided the clinching 4-3 win against top-seeded Stanford and helped Florida win the 2011 NCAA Championship on Tuesday at Taube Tennis Stadium on the campus of Stanford University.

The second-seeded Gators (31-1) earned their fifth national team title, while ending top-seeded Stanford’s (28-1) NCAA-record 184 consecutive home-match win streak and its 47-match overall win streak. Stanford has not lost at home since Feb. 27, 1999 in a 5-4 loss to Cal and had notdropped a decision since a lost at UCLA on Feb. 26, 2010.

The title is the Florida athletics program 26th national team championship and second this season with the men’s track and field team winning the NCAA Indoor title. “I don’t know what it looked like on TV or in the stands, that took about 10 years off my life,” said head coach Roland Thornqvist, who guided the Gators to his second national championship in his 10-year tenure at UF. “We played phenomenal doubles that really set the tone. Today we really found out how Stanford has a 10-year winning streak. It’s really difficult to win here. It took a gutsy performance and everything we had to push us through to victory. Thankfully

“We knew this was going to be very difficult,” Thornqvist said. “Playing in front of 2,000 fans screaming against you, it was tough. Our freshmen were outstanding this week. That proved to be the difference. Alex Cercone went 4-0 this week and that’s tough to do.”

Thornqvist also led the Gators to the 2003 NCAA title played in Gainesville. “My first one, it was just my second year at Florida and my head was still spinning,” Thornqvist shared. “I was just so excited to be at Florida, I don’t know if I enjoyed it that much. This one is certainly very special. To be able to do it here at Stanford in front of 2,000 hostile fans with probably the hardest-working team I’ve ever had is very, very rewarding.”

On Tuesday, the Gators won the doubles point with impressive play at all three positions and took a 1-0 team lead. The Cardinal quickly regrouped on the singles court, where the hosts jumped out and won the first set on five of the six courts. Stanford senior and third-ranked Hilary Barte was the first to finish, as she defeated Gator sophomore and seventh-ranked Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.), 6-2, 6-4, and evened the team scoring at 1-all. The loss snapped Will’s 15-match win streak and marked only her second dual match singles loss this season. There were seven breaks in the second set, and Barte managed the last to break Will in the final game to take the straight-set decision.

Stanford then took a 2-1 lead when 18th-ranked Nicole Gibbs defeated 91st-ranked Sofie Oyen, 6-4, 7-5 on court three. The Gator rookie had a break for 4-3 in the second set, but Gibbs broke and held for a 5-4 lead. Oyen held, as did Gibbs, but the Cardinal earned one final break to win the match. Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) provided the Gators with a singles victory, as she rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win against Veroncia Li and her 14th consecutive decision. The win, which closed the gap to 3-2 in the team score, was her team-best 37th singles victory. Cercone opened the final set with a break and held for a 2-0 lead. Li broke and held before Cercone also held and the set was even at 3-all. Cercone collected another break and aced on game point to a 5-3 lead. The then broke again and held for the win. Cercone has won her singles match in the last five NCAA matches, the only Gator to do so.

Stanford then put itself one step closer to the title, when Stacey Tan found a way to take out Gator captain Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, on court four and take a 3-1 lead I the team score.The attention then turned to court two, where Lauren Embree was battling 22nd-ranked Mallory Burdette and hero of last year’s 4-3 Stanford win, as well as a vocal and hostile Cardinal crowd. Embree trailed 4-0 in the third set, before ripping off the next four games to even the frame and headed to the baseline to serve, where she lost just one point to take a miraculous 5-4 lead.

While the hoards of fans moved to the stadium courts to watch what it felt would be the clinching decision with Burdette’s large lead, Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) was quietly leading her third set against Carolyn McVeigh, 5-0. Embree then drew up double-match point against Burdette’s serve, but couldn’t finish either, as the Cardinal won four straight points to win the game and keep the match alive. Embree then lost just one point on her serve for a 6-5 lead. She then won the first two points of Burdette’s service game, as Janowicz drew up double-match point on court six. Burdette rallied to win the next three points, with the third clipping the net-cord and falling into open space and later the fourth point to force a tiebreak. At the start of the tiebreak, Janowicz polished off her 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 victory and tied the team match at 3-all. The win was the Gator rookie’s 19th consecutive victory. “This is honestly better than anything I could have ever dreamed,” said Janowicz of winning the national championship. “I don’t even know how to describe how I’m feeling.”

Embree fell behind 2-0 in the tiebreak but won four straight points and took control. Burdette held her next serve for 4-3 and then evened the match at 4-all. Embree won the next two and set up double-match point, but Burdette fought off both and tied the breaker at 6-all. Embree then dug deep and won the next two points for the 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory and the championship. Embree actually jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, but Burdette ripped off the next six games and whipped the Stanford crowd into a frenzy, as it propelled her to a 3-1 lead in the second behind a pair of breaks. Embree calmed and wore down the hard-hitting Cardinal and she broke in the seventh game en route to taking the second set and forcing a third. “It was so up and down,” Embree shared about her match. “I got off to a really good start. Mallory just started to play better and better as the match went on. In the second set I knew if I hung in there and could get a break and that’s what happened. I got off to a really slow start in the third. Honestly, I really just wanted to stay out there and fight for my team. Joanna (Mather) was down a set and 5-0 (in Monday’s NCAA Semifinal match) and I knew that if she could do it, I could do it. I wanted to fight as long as I could and I came out with the win. “I had different thoughts racing through my mind when I was down 4-0 in the third,” Embree shared. “I kept fighting. I knew I still had a chance no matter what the score was.”

Embree, who was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Performer, completed the dual match portion of the season with a perfect 24-0 singles record, as she will continue action on Wednesday in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships.

“Lauren is one of the players who you can always depend on,” Cercone said. “Sometimes you don’t want to depend on a player and put pressure on anybody, but it came down to that today. We knew, I knew that Lauren was going to pull it out because the heart that she has. I had incredible faith in her and I’m proud that she did what she did today.”

Florida was very impressive on the doubles court, where all three teams earned early breaks and held comfortable leads throughout play. The Gator’s number two team of Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium) continued its quick work as it provided the first win of the championship with an 8-3 victory against Nicole Gibbs and Veronica Li in 37 minutes. Embree and Oyen capped their inaugural season together with a 9-0 record, netting a win in each of the last five NCAA matches for the Gators. Florida’s number three tandem of Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium) and Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) provided the clinching doubles point for the third consecutive match, this time downing Carolyn McVeigh and Stacey Tan, 8-3. The pair had not played together since November, but reunited in the NCAA Quarterfinal round and has been a key to Florida’s doubles success at the championship site. Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) and Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) were leading their match against Hilary Barte and Mallory Burdette when play was abandoned.

Florida also won the doubles point at last year’s NCAA Final, before the Cardinal rallied to collect four singles victories en route to the 4-3 decision. The Gators had not lost a dual match this year when winning the doubles point.

The 2011 event marked the eighth time Florida and Stanford squared off in the NCAA Final, with the Cardinal winning five of those matches and the Gators capturing the title in 1996, 2003 and now 2011.Florida, which ended the year on a 21-match winning streak, posted the 875th win in the program’s 39th season of varsity action, taking the all-time record to an impressive 875-128.

2011 NCAA Women’s All-Tournament Team

Most Outstanding Player: Lauren Embree, FLORIDA

No. 1 Singles: Hilary Barte, Stanford

No. 2 Singles: Lauren Embree, FLORIDA

No. 3 Singles: Nicole Gibbs, Stanford

No. 4 Singles: Jelena Staivuk, Baylor

No. 5 Singles: Alex Cercone, FLORIDA

No. 6 Singles: Carolyn McVeigh, Stanford

No. 1 Doubles: Hilary Barte/Mallory Burdette, Stanford

No. 2 Doubles: Lauren Embree/Sofie Oyen, FLORIDA

No. 3 Doubles: Diana Nakic/Sona Novakova, Baylor

NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships Final

Doubles (ranking)

1. (2) Alex Cercone/Allie Will, UF led (3) Hilary Barte/Mallory Burdette, SU, 6-3 DNF

2. (45) Lauren Embree/Sofie Oyen, UF d. Nicole Gibbs/Veronica Li, SU, 8-3

3. (37) Caroline Hitimana/Joanna Mather, UF d. (74) Carolyn

McVeigh/Stacey Tan, SU, 8-3*

Order of Finish: 2, 3*

Singles

1. (3) Hilary Barte, SU d. (7) Allie Will, UF, 6-2, 6-4

2. (17) Lauren Embree, UF d. (22) Mallory Burdette, SU, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6)*

3. (18) Nicole Gibbs, SU d. (91) Sofie Oyen, UF, 6-4, 7-5

4. (43) Stacey Tan, SU d. (42) Joanna Mather, UF, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4

5. (54) Alex Cercone, UF d. Veroncia Li, SU, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

6. (53) Olivia Janowicz, UF d. Carolyn McVeigh, SU, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1

Order of Finish: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2*

Updated records: Florida 31-1, Stanford 28-1

For all of the latest information on Florida Women’s Tennis please

log on to www.gatorzone.com/tennis/women or follow the team on Twitter

at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneTennis.

By Mike Hoctor

The Gators were a bit rusty after a three week hiatus between matches. But when they took the courts on Friday to begin the Gainesville Regional of the NCAA Division 1 National Championship Tournament, the team came to life very quickly against first round foe South Carolina State. The MEAC champion Bulldogs were no match for the seventh seeded Gators. The doubles point was quickly won in 50 minutes by number one doubles team Alex Lacroix and Sekou Bangoura, as well as number two doubles team Nassim Slilam and Billy Federhofer. When the doubles point was clinched, the number three doubles team of Bob Van Oberbeek and Andrew Butz were ahead 7-4, as the match was terminated.

In singles, the Gators made short work of South Carolina State. Number six singles player Spencer Newman overwhelmed his South Carolina State counterpart, 6-1, 6-1. Nassim Slilam, elevated to the number two singles slot, followed suit with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. The match clincher was applied by Sekou Bangoura 6-2, 6-1. The other three singles matches involving Gators Alex Lacroix, Bob Van Oberbeek, and Billy Federhofer were stopped, with the Gator singles players comfortably ahead. The team win meant the Gators would now move from the round of 64, in the tournament, to the round of 32, to face instate nemesis Miami on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday’s play begin in the women’s bracket of the Gainesville regional innocently enough, however the weather changed abruptly bringing rain delays that totaled six plus hours. Once the two women’s matches had been completed around 9:00 PM Saturday evening, the Gators and Canes took the court to try and play. Under the lights, the Gators came out firing on all doubles cylinders. The number two doubles team of Nassim Slilam and Billy Federhofer controlled play throughout their doubles pro set, pulling away from Blocker and Chin of Miami for an 8-2 victory. At number one doubles, Alex Lacroix and Sekou Bangoura were equally efficient and demolished Miami’s Crowley and Aly 8-2. With the doubles point in hand, the number three doubles match involving Bob Van Oberbeek and Andrew Butz, was stopped on serve with Miami’s Ast and Pavia leading 7-6.

In the locker room, there was little reason to remind the Gator team, that two years ago, this Miami team cut the heart out of the Gators in the NCAA Regional Final. During that match, the Gators had also won the doubles point, and needed to split the singles matches in order to win. However the Canes came back from losing the doubles point, to overcome the 2008-09 Gators and beat them in Gainesville 4-3. In looking around the locker room, Saturday evening at each player, it was more then apparent that this team was not about to let this scenario occur in 2011.

As the clock moved past ten PM Saturday evening, on each of the six singles courts, the Gator players surged ahead. But mother nature was not going to let this play out Saturday, as the rains once again came in and postponed the Gator tennis freight train for the evening. At 10:45 PM the tournament officials decided play would resume Sunday morning at 10:30 AM. Once again in the locker room, the team was reminded that in order to complete this mission and advance to the Sweet Sixteen in Palo Alto, each player would have to remain focused and not let this over night delay distract them.

The team came back Sunday morning, just as the coaches hoped, ready to complete the task of defeating a pesky Miami team. Nassim Slilam, at two singles, continued his impressive play and never gave his Miami opponent, senior Christian Blocker, a chance to get into the match. After a 6-2 first set victory, Nas never took his foot off the gas pedal, and disposed of Blocker with another 6-2 second set victory for the win.

Senior Alex Lacroix, playing his last match at the Linder Tennis Stadium in Gainesville, went out with a bang! Alex competing as hard as he always does, intimidated Miami senior Keith Crowley with his intensity and shot making. Alex sprinted to a 6-1, 6-1 victory, capping a tremendous four year run at home. With the win, Alex became the all time total wins record holder. Alex passed former Gator letterman Justin O’Neal’s 208 total victories, with his 209th total win. Alex now goes down in Gator Men’s Tennis lore, as the all time winningest player. What else can you say about a player that epitomizes all that is good in a Gator student athlete!

The clincher for Florida came from court six. Miami native, Spencer Newman, was on his own mission. After beating Miami’s Pedro Ast 6-0 in the first set, Spencer could smell the finish line for himself and this Gator team. A team that had now experienced the lows of multiple 3-4 defeats, only to grow in stature and experience and win the SEC Tournament title three weeks previously, was on the brink of the biggest victory of the season. A win that would send this NCAA National Tournament seventh seeded Gators to the promised land of collegiate tennis in Palo Alto, for the Sweet Sixteen and beyond. Spencer forged ahead in the second set, but Ast was not finished and gamely fought off defeat to extend the set to 5-4 in Spencer’s favor. Spencer worked his way through multiple match points and pulled out this Gator victory 6-4, ending the match and once again sending this Gator Men’s Tennis Team into instantaneous celebration mode. Sekou Bangoura, Bob Van Overbeek, and Billy Federhofer singles matches did not need to be finished, once Spencer clinched team victory for the Gators. Every Gator player dropped their racket and quickly joined Spencer Newman to drink in this accomplishment. The 4-0 team victory over Miami avenged that day two years previously, and more importantly propelled the Gator team into the Sweet Sixteen.

Only once in the ten year Andy Jackson era, at Florida, had one of his team’s not experienced the Sweet Sixteen. This is a legacy of success that is impressive. One of this year’s team goals was quite obviously reaching the third round of NCAA championship play. However this year, the team is not satisfied with just getting to the round of sixteen in the NCAA tournament. This team has gained enormous amounts of self confidence over the past month. The 2011 Gator’s Men’s Tennis Team is flying to Palo Alto, California Monday with one thing in mind. Winning the National Championship. There will be fifteen other teams at Stanford starting Thursday with the same goals. The difference is that this Gator team now knows they are capable of beating anyone in the championship field. The next step occurs Thursday, May 19th at 3:00 PM Pacific Time, against SEC rival Kentucky. Both teams know each other so very well, and have split two previous meetings in Gainesville this year. The team that believes in itself, and handles the peripheral atmosphere of a championship site, will emerge victorious. We believe to a man that that team will be your Florida Gators! Thank you for your tremendous support this past weekend, during regional play, and all season. This team is a group all of you can be extremely proud of, as they first learned to crawl competitively this year, and then sprang upright and walked, and now we are ready to make a run at the ultimate championship! Go Gators!

Mike Hoctor
University of Florida Tennis

W-0   8/23/2010

11/7/2010

From:

http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?game_id=9675

The University of Florida’s Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium) and Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) became the third Gator pair to win the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships doubles title, as they won a hard-fought three-setter Sunday at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Oyen and Will defeated Clemson’s third-seeded and fifth-ranked team of Josipa Bek and Keri Wong, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to avenge their only loss this season and capture the national doubles championship.

“We got another national title!” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist exclaimed following the match. “This was one of the best doubles matches I’ve seen in my 16 years of coaching tennis. Both teams played phenomenal tennis. There was great defense, tactical changes. We played really well. We had set-point in the first set and let it slip out of our hands. We didn’t think we were being as aggressive serving as we could have been and told ourselves that if we had a chance to be in that position again, we would go for it. We weren’t going to sit back and hope they miss.

“That little change in our mentality made all the difference,” Thornqvist said. “We continued to return well in the second set and at the point of serving it out, stepped it up. We called poaches on second serves and really stepped up. I’m so proud of them. Sofie and Allie have come a long way since their first match together in October. Winning championships never gets old!”

The 18th-ranked Gator pair ends the fall season with an 11-1 record together, having won their last 11 matches. The Gators’ lone loss was a season-opening setback to the same Clemsonduo they defeated in Sunday’s final.

Oyen and Will became the third different Gator tandem to win the USTA-ITA National Indoor Championships doubles title, joining the teams of Nicole Arendt and Jillian Alexander, which won the 1991 crown, and Dawn Buth and Stephanie NIckitas, which captured the 1996 championship.

Oyen and Will are the 18th and 19th different Gators to win an individual Grand Slam title, as the freshman and sophomore, respectively, produced the 24th championship trophy in the illustrious history of the Florida program.

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) sanctions the three legs of the collegiate singles and doubles Grand Slam events as well as the ITA National Team Indoor Championships and the NCAA Team Championships. The tournament legs in order contested: Riviera All-American; USTA/ITA National Indoor (formerly sponsored by ROLEX); and NCAA Championships. From 1986-2001, there were four national events, but the ITA National Clay Court Championships is no longer played.

This was the final event of the fall tennis season. The Gators next return to the court on Jan. 13 for the Freeman Memorial in Las Vegas, before turning the attention wholly to dual match play, as Florida plays host to UCF on Jan. 26 at 5 p.m.