Florida hadn’t won a meet in which it dropped the doubles point all season. Against Saint Mary’s (4-5), the pairing of senior Josie Kuhlman and freshman McCartney Kessler lost the deciding set in the doubles point, setting up the expectation of UF’s demise.
Kessler did her part in singles competition to right their wrong, but it was senior Peggy Porter who battled into the three-hour mark of the meet to complete an improbable comeback.
Florida (4-4) overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Gaels 4-3 Friday at the Timothy Korth Tennis Complex in Moraga, California.
“I don’t think we played very well in doubles,” coach Roland Thornqvist said in a release. “But we stormed out of the gates and handled our first sets in singles really well.”
The only UF doubles victory was through the duo of senior Anna Danilina and freshman Victoria Emma. The tandem defeated Saint Mary’s Mariia Kozyreva and Hind Abdelouahid 6-0, only to watch the other two pairings drop their matches, bringing UF into singles play trailing by one.
While Kessler tied the score with a quick 6-3, 6-3 victory over Kareena Manji, the Gaels quickly countered. Danilina, the No. 9 collegiate player in the world, lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 in her second loss of the dual meet season. Freshman Katie Kubicz, who dominated the first set 6-2, watched her lead slowly slip away as Saint Mary’s Vanessa Nommensen dominated the next two sets to earn the 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 win.
With the Gators down 3-1, all the Gaels needed was another point to secure the win against the defending national champions.
But Florida would not relent.
The remaining Gators won the final three matches to complete the comeback. Kuhlman’s 6-3, 7-5 victory started the chain before Emma evened the score with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win. Porter clinched the victory in the third set of her match, defeating Emma Critser 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
“That’s huge for (Peggy’s) confidence level, any time you can clinch a match with everybody’s eyes on you,” Thornqvist said. “It wasn’t just that she won, but the way she won. She really handled herself well. She made great decisions and played with confidence.”
Florida arrives in Stanford, California, today to square off in a rematch of last year’s championship match against the Cardinal at 3 p.m.
Follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells and contact him at rwells@alligator.org.
Senior Peggy Porter staved off defeat in a three-set deciding match Friday against St. Mary's.
