The Florida Gators defeated the Blue Devils yesterday evening at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, 4-0.
Florida (7-1) improved to 37-5 all-time versus the Blue Devils (4-4) after yesterday’s victory—and are 16-1 when playing Duke at home.
Coach Roland Thornqvist said there’s always great battles when they face Duke. But, he thinks this was probably the best tennis he has seen so far from this team this season.
He was especially impressed by sophomore Belinda Woolcock’s performance on the court.
“I think this Duke team is really talented and Belinda [Woolcock] showed again some mental toughness, having a lead, losing it, then winning in the end just like at Indoors,” Thornqvist said. “And that’s tough to train. She’s just got that and we’re very pleased. Overall I’m happy with our performance on every court today.”
No.27 Woolcock defeated her opponent Rachel Kahan, 6-4, and 7-5 after falling in the first set and letting a 5-1 lead slip in her second set.
“It was a bit frustrating when I lost a couple of really close points because we had such long rallies, but I just kept my composure and I kept fighting”, the sophomore said. “I tried going to her weaknesses and tried coming into the net when I could, but in the end it was all about mental toughness and that’s one thing I’ve been really working hard on in the last few weeks, so I was happy with that today.”
No.6-ranked Brooke Austin was challenged by the No.1 singles competitor on the Duke squad, Beatrice Capra, but won the match 7-5, 6-2. Thornqvist said he thought she played very well and confidently.
As for doubles play, he was pleased with how the team played. He thought the Gators executed very well.
The doubles duo, sophomore Spencer Liang and Woolcock claimed an 8-3 victory over Duke’s Annie Mulholland and Samantha Harris. No. 4-ranked pairing, Kourney Keegan and Brooke Austin, clinched the doubles point with an 8-3 win versus Duke’s top duo, Ester Goldfeld and Alyssa Smith.
The Florida Gators are back in action tomorrow afternoon, when they host a top-10 competitor, No.10 Stanford at noon.
The team is seeking another W to extend its home winning streak to 138 after this weekend’s outing.
Follow Eneisy Rodriguez on Twitter @eneisyr29
Belinda Woolcock swings at the ball during Florida’s 4-0 win against Louisville on Jan. 25 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
