When looking at the history of women’s tennis in the Southeastern Conference, there is one very clear truth that sticks out — the Gators have a monopoly on the sport.
Dating back to 1980, the first year of women’s tennis in the conference, the Gators have won 26 of a possible 33 regular season championships. They have had 21 undefeated seasons in the conference, including the past three years.
With Saturday’s victory over South Carolina, Florida (18-1, 11-0 SEC) wrapped up another regular season title and primed itself for another deep postseason run. On the surface, this year’s team is very similar to last year’s. The rosters are almost identical, as are the doubles pairings. Both teams lost regular-season matches against Stanford, and both dominated every other opponent.
But if you ask coach Roland Thornqvist, much has changed since last April.
“I think we’re playing, from a forehand and backhand standpoint, much better,” he said. “We’re a much better ball-striking team in some spots. But the biggest improvement is maturity.”
In 2011, the Gators had three freshmen on their roster — Sofie Oyen, Olivia Janowicz and Alex Cercone. Now sophomores, those three players have coupled with junior Caroline Hitimana to play the fourth, fifth, and sixth singles spots. Thornqvist said that those players have become much more consistent this season, which has allowed him to give some players days off without sacrificing production.
“Last year, we were still sort of searching with three freshmen,” he said. “They were much more up-and-down than they are this year. That’s a great improvement to have more stability in your performance day in and day out. Our lineup has been interchangeable for a long time.”
Last May, Florida played on four consecutive days at Stanford en route to the national championship. That makes it even more vital for the Gators to effectively utilize their depth.
“If we’re in the postseason and we play consecutive days and we have someone who’s worn out the next day, we have somebody fresh coming in,” Thornqvist said.
“We have seven players that can all get the job done. I think it’s very important that we play all seven, because we’re going to need all seven. I think that’s a huge weapon that we haven’t utilized as much in the past, but we’re certainly going to take advantage of that this year.“
UF plays either Tennessee or Auburn in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Friday. The Gators received a first-round bye, giving them an extra day to prepare for what could be three straight days of matches. They faced the same situation last year, winning the tournament.
Florida coach Roland Thornqvist (right) congratulates junior Sofie Oyen (left) and former Gator Allie Will (back) during a match against Duke on March 14, 2012.
