Progress over perfection.
That is what coach Roland Thornqvist is hoping to see from the Florida women’s tennis team.
With the Gators having four players make it to the qualifying round of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Tuesday, Thornqvist should be satisfied with his team’s progression in the early season.
To get to the qualifying round, the Gators had to first compete in the pre-qualifying rounds.
Senior Brianna Morgan and sophomore Anna Danilina fared well against Texas Tech’s Lynn Kiro and Sarah Dvorak, defeating them 8-7(1).
Morgan and Danilina continued their strong play, advancing to the second round of the tournament and defeating the No. 7-seeded pair of Lucia Butkovska and Maja Mladenovic, 8-2.
In their final match of the pre-qualifying rounds, Morgan and Danilina handed Pepperdine’s Laura Gulbe and Dzina Milovanovic an 8-2 loss.
Danilina would be the only Gator to play singles in the pre-qualifying rounds.
She lost in the first round to No. 125-ranked Lauren Chypyha in a three-set match, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.
Juniors Kourtney Keegan and Belinda Woolcock, along with Morgan and the doubles pair of Danilina and Morgan, would compete in the qualifying rounds of the tournament on Tuesday.
The men’s tennis team also clinched qualifying spots in the Saint Francis Health Care System ITA All-American Championships.
Senior Gordon Watson, junior Elliott Orkin, sophomore Chase Perez-Blanco and freshman Alfredo Perez all advanced to the second round of the qualifying draw.
"It’s still early in the season," coach Bryan Shelton said in a release, "but I like the way the guys are going about their business out there,"
Perez-Blanco pulled out a straight set win against Denver’s Alex Gasson, going 6-3, 6-3.
Perez-Blanco was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team and is a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week recipient.
Orkin, who is ranked No. 86, came back to win a three set match, 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), against Alabama’s Mazen Osama.
Orkin and junior Maxx Lipman earned automatic berths into the doubles main draw.
Success at this tournament will be more meaningful than just a win on the schedule.
The Gators rely on events like the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships to prepare Florida for the spring season, where competition begins against other universities.
The qualifying rounds also give the team’s players a chance to measure their improvements from last season.
Singles quarterfinalists, doubles finalists and consolation champions will receive an automatic entry into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships on Nov. 12-15 in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Shelton said his team has shown continued improvement, but that practices will reveal areas that need improvement.
"We aren’t executing perfectly but we’re moving in the right direction," Shelton said.
Follow Madison Belfour on Twitter @madisonbel4
Brianna Morgan awaits a serve during Florida's 4-0 win against Maryland on Jan. 25 at the Ring Tennis Complex. Morgan defeated Georgia Tech's Kendal Woodard, 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 3 position on Saturday to help the Gators advance to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.
