Three Gators from Florida’s women’s tennis team entered the 32-person pool in Flushing, N.Y., and four entered the tournament in Lakewood, Fla., on the weekend with high aspirations.
They had two different results.
Senior Lauren Embree, freshman Danielle Collins and junior Sofie Oyen all competed at the 2012 UTSA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship over the weekend, but none made it past the competition on Saturday.
Oyen, who made the tournament last minute as an at-large bid, got the furthest in the tournament, reaching all the way to the semifinals.
After downing Georgia’s eighth-seeded Lauren Herring, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on Friday, Oyen dropped a tough match against 22nd-ranked Annette Schutting, losing 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Saturday.
“Sofie played great all tournament,” coach Roland Thornqvist said. “She showed great improvement both in skill and mentally and ends the fall on a high note.”
Top-seeded Embree got upset in the second round of the tournament, losing to California’s Zsofi Susanyi 6-1, 6-1. This was Embree’s first loss for the fall season, and she is now 6-1.
Collins, the freshman talent for the Gators, lost to Tennessee’s Brynn Boren in the second round by a score of 7-5, 6-1. Her record for fall now stands at 12-3.
In Lakewood, Fla., all but one player who entered the Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic reached the semifinals.
Senior Caroline Hitimana, junior Alexandra Cercone and freshman Brianna Morgan won their matches in the quarterfinals Saturday after cruising past the round of 32 and 16.
Hitimana earned a three-set win against Mississippi State’s Georgiana Patrasc, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 and will face her teammate Morgan in the semifinals after she beat Notre Dame’s Brittany Sanders in two sets, 6-2, 6-2.
On the other side of the bracket, Cercone won a three-set match against Alabama’s Maya Jansen and earned a semifinal spot against Memphis’ Tymchenko on Sunday.
Junior Olivia Janowicz fell to Tymchenko in the second round of the singles’ tournament 4-6, 6-4 7-6.
In doubles, Cercone and Morgan won all three of their matches to reach the finals on Sunday against Memphis’ Collins and Grey. They beat their opponents by scores of 8-6, 8-5 and 8-5 to reach the championship match.
