GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team ran into a tough Florida team in Gainesville on Friday as the Gators handed the Commodores a 6-1 loss at Linder Stadium. With the loss, the Commodores fall to 9-7 overall and 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference while the win pushes Florida’s mark to 17-2 overall and an undefeated record of 7-0 in the SEC.
Vanderbilt fell behind 1-0 after Florida swept all three doubles matches from the Commodores. Florida’s Caroline Hitimana and Joanna Mather clinched the doubles point for the Gators with an 8-3 win over Hannah Blatt and Rachael Dillon on court three.
Florida extended its lead to two when Claire Bartlett defeated Megan Gornet, 6-0, 6-2, in the No. 6 position. It marked the first time this season that Gornet has played in the lineup during a conference dual match.
Florida’s 14th-ranked Lauren Embree gave the Gators a 3-0 lead when she defeated 23rd-ranked Catherine Newman, 6-2, 6-1 in the featured match of the day at the No. 1 position. Embree handed Newman only her second loss of the conference season.
Clinching the match for Florida was 79th-ranked Marrit Boonstra who was leading Keilly Ulery, 6-4, 5-2, including a 40-30 lead in game eight of the second set before Ulery was forced to retire.
The Gators took a 5-0 lead minutes later when Joanna Mather defeated VU’s Dillon, 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 4 position. It marked the just the third time all season, that Dillon played No. 3 singles for the Commodores.
Florida than extended its lead to 6-0 after No. 9 Allie Will defeated No. 82 Preeg, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2. Preeg got out to hot start against Will, leading 3-0 in the first set before the Gator won six of the seven matches to take the first set. In the second set, Will raced out to a 5-0 lead, breaking Preeg at love in the fifth game, but the Commodore went out with a fight and broke Will’s serve in the next game and held, before Will served out to post her team-leading 17th consecutive singles victory.
Trailing 6-0, Vanderbilt’s Hannah Blatt provided a bright spot for the Commodores on Friday when she outlasted Caroline Hitimana in three sets at the No. 5 position to remain undefeated in the SEC. Blatt once against got out to blistering start after winning the first set (6-3) for a 12th consecutive match. The Nashville, Tenn., native has now won the first set in every match she has played in 2010.
Blatt’s match got interesting in the second set, when the Gator won six of the seven games to set up a third and final set. In the third set, VU was on the verge of getting shutout when Blatt found herself down 5-3 in the third before rallying to win three of the next four games to set up a third-set tiebreaker. Hitimana took a brief 2-1 lead in the mini break before Blatt’s staged a ferocious comeback winning four straight points en route to a 6-3, 1-6 7-6 (3) win.
The ‘Dores will look to get back on the winning track in less than 48 hours as they travel up the coast to Columbia, S.C., for a showdown with 19th-ranked South Carolina at noon CT on Sunday. Vanderbilt knocked-off the Gamecocks, 5-2 in last year’s meeting (Mar. 6, 2009) in Nashville. USC defeated Kentucky, 7-0 on Friday afternoon to improve to 13-4 overall and 6-1 in the SEC.
Live stats of the match against South Carolina will be available on vucommodores.com, courtesy of gamecocksonline.com. Click the link at the top of the page to follow the action.
No. 3 Florida 6, No. 24 Vanderbilt 1
April 2, 2010
Singles
1. No. 14 Lauren Embree (UF) def. No. 23 Catherine Newman (VU) 6-2, 6-1
2. No. 9 Allie Will (UF) vs. No. 82 Chelsea Preeg (VU) 6-4, 6-2
3. No. 79 Marrit Boonstra (UF) vs.. Keilly Ulery (VU) UF led 6-4, 5-2 retired*
4. Joanna Mather (UF) def. Rachael Dillon (VU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Hannah Blatt (VU) def. Caroline Hitimana (UF) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(3)
6. Claire Bartlett (UF) def. Megan Gornet (VU) 6-0, 6-2
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 3*, 4, 2, 5
Doubles
1. No. 5 Boonstra / Will (UF) def. No. 25 Preeg / Wu (VU) 8-1
2. No. 35 Embree / Revzina (UF) def. Newman / Robertson (VU) 8-5
3. Hitimana / Mather (UF) def. Blatt / Dillon (VU) 8-3
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Match Notes:
Vanderbilt falls to 9-7 overall and 4-3 in the SEC
Florida improves to 17-2 overall and 7-0 in the SEC
