After Olivia Janowicz and Danielle Collins dropped the first doubles match to Duke’s Monica Turewicz and Hanna Mar 8-4, Florida could not get back on track.
The No. 2 Gators dropped their first dual meet match of the season in a 4-0 loss against the Blue Devils in Durham, N.C., on Sunday. The defeat was UF’s first in more than a year.
Lauren Embree and Sofie Oyen held strong in opposition, defeating Duke’s Mary Clayton and Ester Goldfeld 8-4.
But the duo’s win was overlooked as Alexandra Cercone and Brianna Morgan dropped their match. Cercone and Morgan faced an 8-8 tie in the final set. But they fell behind in the tiebreaker 7-3 and lost 9-8 to Duke’s Annie Mullholland and Marianne Jodoin.
Florida failed to step up the pace in singles. The Gators suffered three losses and trailed in four other matches that were not finished due to the Blue Devils’ clinching.
Collins and Oyen dropped their matches 6-4, 7-5 to Duke’s Monica Turewicz and Ester Goldfeld, respectively.
Janowicz stuck through three sets. After taking the first set, Janowicz dropped the final two to lose.
Embree, Cercone and Morgan were still mid-match when Duke clinched the victory and did not finish.
“Duke was the better team at the end of sets,” coach Roland Thornqvist said. “They played with great passion and had a great crowd. I thought they were the better team today.”
The Gators will now focus on regrouping from their first road loss as they head to Raleigh, N.C. today to face No. 1 North Carolina.
“Our job now is to forget it and play again [today] at a high level,” Thornqvist said.
“Even though we lost this one, this trip is exactly what we need.”
Olivia Janowicz prepares to return a serve in a match against Duke in 2011.
