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When the No. 2 Florida women's tennis team took the court Sunday in
the Southeastern Conference Tournament final in Knoxville, Tenn.,
there was a familiar opponent looking back at them.
In a rematch of last year's final, the Gators challenged tournament
host Tennessee.
Although the Volunteers held home-court advantage, Florida
continued its recent dominance, winning the 2011 SEC Championship
with a 4-0 shutout, the school's 17th title in the 24 years of the
event. Sunday was the fifth time Florida beat the host team to win
the tournament.
"Tennessee always does a good job of fighting and staying in there
until the bitter end," coach Roland Thornqvist said. "I'm proud we
were able to withstand some late runs in singles, especially since
it's even tougher to beat a team for a championship on its home
court."
This year also marked the third time both the UF men's and women's
tennis teams came away with the tournament title in the same season
(2000, 2005).
Sunday's victory saw Florida capture the doubles point for the 15th
consecutive match. The Gators (25-1) have won the doubles point in
all but one match this year-their only loss.
In singles, sophomore Allie Will put the Gators up 2-0 with a
straight-sets win on Court 2. Will came into the tournament with a
20-0 singles record in SEC play, a mark she extended by two this
weekend.
Freshmen Alex Cercone and Olivia Janowicz provided the last two
points for Florida, winning in straight sets on Courts 5 and 6,
respectively.
Thornqvist, who has led the Gators to seven tournament titles in
his 10 years at UF, said he was impressed most by Janowicz's
performance over the weekend.
"Olivia was outstanding, so solid all week long," he said.
"Sometimes you play [on Court 6] and you sort of go unnoticed, but
she's playing the kind of tennis we need there. This weekend was a
good example of how much she's improved."
Thornqvist also recalled a characteristic he has embedded into his
team all season long-toughness.
"We take pride in our fitness and our durability and grit. Winning
a three-day event in the heat against a field as tough as the SEC
means a lot," he said.
