After a week with very little practice and two players sick with the flu, the Gators women’s tennis team could’ve played slow. Instead, they dominated.
Recording two more sweeps, Florida defeated Alabama 4-0 on Friday and Auburn 4-0 on Sunday.
The Gators started fast on Friday in a match that lasted fewer than two hours. Belinda Woolcock and Josie Kuhlman were first off the doubles court as they crushed Alabama’s Danielle Spielmann and Juliana Valero 6-0. Not long after that, the pair of Ingrid Neel and Anna Danilina gave Florida a 1-0 lead as they defeated Andie Daniell and Joanna Savva 6-3.
The Gators were efficient in singles, playing with a different lineup as Kuhlman played two and Neel played three. Nevertheless, Florida managed to get off the court quickly as Woolcock beat Erin Routliffe 6-1, 6-0 to put the Gators up by two. Danilina was next off the court when she defeated Smith Hinton 6-1, 6-1, and Kourtney Keegan handed the Gators the win by beating Savva 6-1, 6-1.
“I thought we did a good job with emotion and playing together today,” coach Roland Thornqvist said. “That’s how you beat a team like this.”
The Gators carried Friday’s momentum to Sunday as Thornqvist described the Auburn match as “one of the more complete matches we’ve played in the past month.”
Florida found itself in a bit of a scare in doubles on Sunday, as Auburn split the doubles point and started to make a comeback. After Woolcock and Kuhlman won their match on Court 3, Auburn’s Alizee Michaud and Taylor Russo defeated Brooke Austin and Keegan 6-3. Danilina and Neel went up 5-0 in their match before Andie Dikosavljevic and Alannah Griffin won four straight to make it 5-4. However, the Gators managed to survive as they took the match 6-4 to give Florida the lead.
Singles play was a different story. Every court won the first set for the Gators as they dominated the Tigers. Playing quicker than she normally does, Austin was first off the court for the Gators after beating Georgie Axon 6-3, 6-0. Playing on Court 2 again, Kuhlman was next off the court as she wore down Michaud to win 6-4, 6-0. Then, after battling the flu this week, Neel found her stride to defeat Russo 6-2, 6-4 and give the Gators their ninth sweep of the season.
“We played well and we played tough,” Thornqvist said. “When we were up at games, we were tough at the end of them. That’s how you open these teams up. I thought we were outstanding (Sunday).”
Contact Spencer Thompson at sthompson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @spencemthompson.
UF's Josie Kuhlman hits a backhand during Florida's 4-2 win against Oklahoma State on Feb. 18, 2017, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
