The
UF women's tennis team dominated conference opponents all season
and nothing changed Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC
tournament in Knoxville, Tenn.
Top-seeded Florida beat ninth-seeded South Carolina for the second
time in a week, coming away with a quick and decisive 4-0 win to
advance to the tournament semifinals, where they will face
fifth-seeded Vanderbilt at 10 a.m.
This year's semifinals appearance extends an impressive streak for
Florida, reaching the semifinals every year of the (24) of the SEC
Tournament's existence.
The Gators beat the Gamecocks in a 5-0 shutout last Saturday in
Gainesville, and not much changed on the bigger stage.
Florida got an impressive 8-0 doubles win on Court 2 by Lauren
Embree and Sofie Oyen, kick-starting a successful day as the Gators
easily won three singles matches in straight sets.
"We were as solid at [Court 2] as we have been all season," coach
Roland Thornqvist said. "The courts are amazingly slow so we have
to adjust our play in singles a little for tomorrow."
Embree was able to contribute a singles win playing on Court 1,
while fellow sophomore Allie Will didn't get to finish her match,
but said the team played as well as it has all year.
"Alex [Cercone] and I did good in doubles, and I'm glad we at least
got to finish that match to wrap up the doubles point," Will said.
"Singles were a little tougher than I thought it would be, because
the courts are really slow you have to hit more balls to adjust to
that. I didn't get to finish but I think my team did a great job of
finishing for me."
Embree said that 8-0 shutout in doubles set the tone for the Gators
on Friday, and they will be looking for more of the same in
Saturday's semifinal matchup.
"We all felt confident going into singles," Embree said. "And in
singles everyone got off to a good start, so we all calmed down
from court-to-court."
Florida defeated Vanderbilt 7-0 on the road last month, but
Thornqvist said the Commodores always play the Gators tough. He
also hoped weather conditions would allow Florida to play
outside.
MEN'S TEAM
In the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament in
Gainesville, Andy Jackson watched his fifth-seeded Gators scrape
out a 4-2 victory over fourth-seeded Mississippi State on Friday
and afterwards, said his team might have finally turned the
corner.
"It was a close match," UF's men's tennis coach said. "We've lost a
lot of close matches this year, but we won the most important match
we've played so far. This is the biggest moment of our
season."
The No. 17 Gators (16-8, 9-4) have struggled in competitive
matches, but Florida beat Jackson's former team for the second time
this season on the back of an impressive performance by one of its
unsung heroes.
Junior Nassim Slilam, who has quietly had a quality season in
singles, came away with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 win over Mississippi
State's James Chaudry, clinching the match for the Gators.
"Nassim has worked extremely hard for us all year," Jackson said.
"His composure and overall contribution to our team has been so
significant. I'm happy for him because he really deserved that win,
and it was a great moment for him."
At the time of Slilam's victory, Florida's Alexandre Lacroix was
down a set on Court 1, and if Slilam had lost his third set, it
might have led to a disappointing early exit for the Gators.
Florida is hosting the tournament in Gainesville for the first time
since 1999 and advanced to the semifinals to face top-seeded
Tennessee Saturday at 2 p.m. The Volunteers demolished the Gators
7-0 in Knoxville just two weeks ago.
"Tennessee beat us extremely badly at their place, but we're just
going to try to turn it around and get to the final," Jackson
said.
Jackson has stressed his team's potential this year, saying its has
the capacity to beat the top teams in the nation.
However, the Gators have faltered in high-pressure matches, but
after winning its second match in as many days, and pulling out a
tough win Friday, Jackson thinks the Gators might finally be ready
to meet their expectations.
