The No. 21-ranked Gators women’s tennis team traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, this weekend as part of the ITA Kickoff Weekend. They are headed home 1-1, beating Oklahoma 4-3 on Saturday and losing to NC State 4-0 on Sunday.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association hosts an annual tournament at the beginning of the year to start the college tennis season and it can often be used as a spark to begin a campaign. This year’s tournament was the 12th rendition, with 26 events taking place around the country serving as a preliminary round before the finals in Chicago Feb. 7-10.
UF coach Roland Thornqvist and his team concluded their first match Saturday with an impressive 4-3 comeback victory against Oklahoma in the opening round to show exactly why they are ranked in the Top 25.
Thornqvist was very satisfied with how his team performed in the first match and was especially excited to see how sophomore Marlee Zein, who secured the win for UF, was able to handle the pressure with confidence at such a high level.
“After a little disappointment in doubles, we looked really determined to bounce back in singles," Thornqvist said. “It was great for our entire team to watch her navigate the pressure of the third set and played fantastic tennis to win.”
This win against the Sooners set up Florida against No. 8 NC State; the host of the matches, who defeated their preliminary opponent, Rice, 4-2.
Sunday didn’t produce the same results for UF, however, not being able to secure a single point on the second day, falling to the Wolfpack 4-0, with the closest game almost being won by senior Tsveta Dimitrova who ultimately fell in back to back sets 4-6.
Although the Gators did not come away with an automatic berth for the ITA Indoor Finals in Chicago that they would have hoped for, losing to the eighth-ranked team in the country away from home is nothing to be ashamed about, and they can use this defeat as motivation for future bouts against high ranking opponents.
The next time Florida will take the court will be against the Michigan Wolverines on Feb. 4 at 6 p.m.
Follow Myles on Twitter @myles_herbert and contact him at mherbert@alligator.org.
