Spring Break
Women's tennis tops Florida, heads to NCAA quarterfinals
Issue date: 5/15/09 Section: Sports
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - Second-ranked Georgia moved on to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships by ending Florida's season, beating the 15th-ranked Gators 4-2 here Friday.
The Bulldogs (26-2) remained perfect on the year when taking the doubles point and then got singles wins from sophomore Cameron Ellis, freshman Chelsey Gullickson and the clinching victory from junior Naoko Ueshima. Up next, the Bulldogs face upstart South Carolina (17-10) Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The 22nd-ranked Gamecocks blanked No. 32 Washington 4-0 in their quarterfinal match. USC made it to the round of 16 by upsetting 10th-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville last week. Georgia is riding a 15-match winning streak. Earlier this season in Columbia, S.C., Georgia posted a 6-1 win over then No. 22 USC with three of the six singles matches going to three sets and two of them shortened to eight-game pro sets once the overall match was clinched.
Georgia claimed the doubles point for the first time in three meetings with the Gators. The No. 3 team of Ellis and Ueshima made quick work of Brooke Allen and Laura Wolken, beating them 8-1. Georgia's All-America freshmen duo of Gullickson and Nadja Gilchrist, ranked sixth nationally, clinched the point over the 18th-ranked tandem of Marritt Boonstra and Joanna Mather. The match was on serve until the Bulldogs picked up a break for a 4-2 lead and then posted another one for a 6-2 advantage. They would go on to record an 8-3 win. Florida's No. 2 team of Jessica Alexander and Anastasia Revzina had built a 5-1 lead on Monika Dancevic and Yvette Hyndman but the Bulldogs closed the gap to 5-4 when the match was suspended with the team point determined. With Friday's win, Georgia is now 22-0 in matches when it wins the doubles point.
In singles, Ellis blanked Wolken 6-0,6-0 at No. 6 to give Georgia a 2-0 advantage. Ellis ran her record to 31-4 this year including 16-2 at No. 6. When Ellis finished, Gullickson and Gilchrist were up a set at No. 1 and 3 while Florida picked up the first set at No. 2 and No. 4. Ueshima led Brooke Pinterova 4-3 in the first set at No. 6, and she eventually took it 6-3.
The Gators secured their first team point when Alexander defeated Dancevic 6-4,6-1 in the No. 4 contest that trimmed Georgia's overall lead to 2-1. It snapped Dancevic's eight match winning streak. Also, eighth-ranked Boonstra rallied to split sets with ninth-ranked Gullickson in the No. 1 match. Gullickson was the next to finish, outlasting Boonstra 6-3,2-6,6-3 to give Georgia a 3-1 lead. It marked the fourth time the pair had faced each other this season, and Gullickson emerged with the win for the third time. Gullickson improved to 37-9 this year including 20-5 at No. 1. She now has won 10 straight matches.
However, the Gators were coming back at No. 3 and 5 while Hyndman was trying to extend her match with Revzina at No. 2. Revzina won the first set 6-4 and rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 5-3 edge. Then, Hyndman responded with four straight games to take the second set 7-5. At No. 3, Mather rallied against Gilchrist, winning in three sets 4-6,6-2,6-2 to make it 3-2 in the overall match. It ended a 12-match winning streak for Gilchrist.
To help keep the tournament on schedule, Hyndman and Revzina moved one court over for their final set in order to start the doubles between top-ranked Northwestern and No. 16 Fresno State. Meanwhile, Ueshima was charging back against Pinterova who saw a 5-1 advantage evaporate as Ueshima tied it at 5-5. Pinterova held serve to go up 6-5. Meanwhile at No. 2, Hyndman got an early service break for a 3-2 lead in the final set. Ueshima forced a tiebreaker and went on to clinch the match in straight sets, 6-3,7-6(2). Hyndman had match point on Revzina when play was halted.
"This was the third time this year I have played her and I won the first two times so I came in knowing what I needed to do," said Ueshima. "I played well in the first set but no so much in the second set. When I got down 5-1, (Coach) Jeff (Wallace) told me to be myself, relax and be confident. I guess it came down to who wanted it more, and I did."
"This was the rubber match of our series with Florida because they won the first time in Gainesville, then we won in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, and today we came through again," said Georgia coach Jeff Wallace. "They beat us in the doubles the first two times so it was nice to get that point today. Since that loss to them, our team has played extremely well, really focused on getting better, and they have. We went on to win the SEC, the SEC Tournament and that helped us get the number two seed here in the NCAA Tournament. We knew it was going to be a dogfight with Florida, they played us great all three times. I was proud of how we fought hard today."
NCAA Tournament Round of 16: College Station, Texas
#2 Georgia 4, #15 Florida 2
Doubles
1. #6 Nadja Gilchrist/Chelsey Gullickson (UGA) def. #18 Marritt Boonstra/Joanna Mather (UF) 8-3
2. #25 Jessica Alexander/Anastasia Revzina (UF) vs. Monika Dancevic/Yvette Hyndman (UGA) 4-5 susp.
3. Cameron Ellis/Naoko Ueshima (UGA) def. Brooke Allen/Laura Wolken (UF) 8-1
Singles
1. #9 Chelsey Gullickson (UGA) def. #8 Marritt Boonstra (UF) 6-3,2-6,6-3
2. #55 Yvette Hyndman (UGA) vs. #40 Anastasia Revzina (UF) 4-6,7-5,5-2 susp.
3. Joanna Mather (UF) def. #56 Nadja Gilchrist (UGA) 4-6,6-2,6-2
4. Jessica Alexander (UF) def. #93 Monika Dancevic (UGA) 6-4,6-1
5. Naoko Ueshima (UGA) def. Barbara Pinterova (UF) 6-3,7-6(2)
6. Cameron Ellis (UGA) def. Lauren Wolken (UF) 6-0,6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,4,1,3,5)
Georgia now 26-2; Florida now 16-10
- Georgia Sports Communications
The Bulldogs (26-2) remained perfect on the year when taking the doubles point and then got singles wins from sophomore Cameron Ellis, freshman Chelsey Gullickson and the clinching victory from junior Naoko Ueshima. Up next, the Bulldogs face upstart South Carolina (17-10) Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The 22nd-ranked Gamecocks blanked No. 32 Washington 4-0 in their quarterfinal match. USC made it to the round of 16 by upsetting 10th-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville last week. Georgia is riding a 15-match winning streak. Earlier this season in Columbia, S.C., Georgia posted a 6-1 win over then No. 22 USC with three of the six singles matches going to three sets and two of them shortened to eight-game pro sets once the overall match was clinched.
Georgia claimed the doubles point for the first time in three meetings with the Gators. The No. 3 team of Ellis and Ueshima made quick work of Brooke Allen and Laura Wolken, beating them 8-1. Georgia's All-America freshmen duo of Gullickson and Nadja Gilchrist, ranked sixth nationally, clinched the point over the 18th-ranked tandem of Marritt Boonstra and Joanna Mather. The match was on serve until the Bulldogs picked up a break for a 4-2 lead and then posted another one for a 6-2 advantage. They would go on to record an 8-3 win. Florida's No. 2 team of Jessica Alexander and Anastasia Revzina had built a 5-1 lead on Monika Dancevic and Yvette Hyndman but the Bulldogs closed the gap to 5-4 when the match was suspended with the team point determined. With Friday's win, Georgia is now 22-0 in matches when it wins the doubles point.
In singles, Ellis blanked Wolken 6-0,6-0 at No. 6 to give Georgia a 2-0 advantage. Ellis ran her record to 31-4 this year including 16-2 at No. 6. When Ellis finished, Gullickson and Gilchrist were up a set at No. 1 and 3 while Florida picked up the first set at No. 2 and No. 4. Ueshima led Brooke Pinterova 4-3 in the first set at No. 6, and she eventually took it 6-3.
The Gators secured their first team point when Alexander defeated Dancevic 6-4,6-1 in the No. 4 contest that trimmed Georgia's overall lead to 2-1. It snapped Dancevic's eight match winning streak. Also, eighth-ranked Boonstra rallied to split sets with ninth-ranked Gullickson in the No. 1 match. Gullickson was the next to finish, outlasting Boonstra 6-3,2-6,6-3 to give Georgia a 3-1 lead. It marked the fourth time the pair had faced each other this season, and Gullickson emerged with the win for the third time. Gullickson improved to 37-9 this year including 20-5 at No. 1. She now has won 10 straight matches.
However, the Gators were coming back at No. 3 and 5 while Hyndman was trying to extend her match with Revzina at No. 2. Revzina won the first set 6-4 and rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 5-3 edge. Then, Hyndman responded with four straight games to take the second set 7-5. At No. 3, Mather rallied against Gilchrist, winning in three sets 4-6,6-2,6-2 to make it 3-2 in the overall match. It ended a 12-match winning streak for Gilchrist.
To help keep the tournament on schedule, Hyndman and Revzina moved one court over for their final set in order to start the doubles between top-ranked Northwestern and No. 16 Fresno State. Meanwhile, Ueshima was charging back against Pinterova who saw a 5-1 advantage evaporate as Ueshima tied it at 5-5. Pinterova held serve to go up 6-5. Meanwhile at No. 2, Hyndman got an early service break for a 3-2 lead in the final set. Ueshima forced a tiebreaker and went on to clinch the match in straight sets, 6-3,7-6(2). Hyndman had match point on Revzina when play was halted.
"This was the third time this year I have played her and I won the first two times so I came in knowing what I needed to do," said Ueshima. "I played well in the first set but no so much in the second set. When I got down 5-1, (Coach) Jeff (Wallace) told me to be myself, relax and be confident. I guess it came down to who wanted it more, and I did."
"This was the rubber match of our series with Florida because they won the first time in Gainesville, then we won in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, and today we came through again," said Georgia coach Jeff Wallace. "They beat us in the doubles the first two times so it was nice to get that point today. Since that loss to them, our team has played extremely well, really focused on getting better, and they have. We went on to win the SEC, the SEC Tournament and that helped us get the number two seed here in the NCAA Tournament. We knew it was going to be a dogfight with Florida, they played us great all three times. I was proud of how we fought hard today."
NCAA Tournament Round of 16: College Station, Texas
#2 Georgia 4, #15 Florida 2
Doubles
1. #6 Nadja Gilchrist/Chelsey Gullickson (UGA) def. #18 Marritt Boonstra/Joanna Mather (UF) 8-3
2. #25 Jessica Alexander/Anastasia Revzina (UF) vs. Monika Dancevic/Yvette Hyndman (UGA) 4-5 susp.
3. Cameron Ellis/Naoko Ueshima (UGA) def. Brooke Allen/Laura Wolken (UF) 8-1
Singles
1. #9 Chelsey Gullickson (UGA) def. #8 Marritt Boonstra (UF) 6-3,2-6,6-3
2. #55 Yvette Hyndman (UGA) vs. #40 Anastasia Revzina (UF) 4-6,7-5,5-2 susp.
3. Joanna Mather (UF) def. #56 Nadja Gilchrist (UGA) 4-6,6-2,6-2
4. Jessica Alexander (UF) def. #93 Monika Dancevic (UGA) 6-4,6-1
5. Naoko Ueshima (UGA) def. Barbara Pinterova (UF) 6-3,7-6(2)
6. Cameron Ellis (UGA) def. Lauren Wolken (UF) 6-0,6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,4,1,3,5)
Georgia now 26-2; Florida now 16-10
- Georgia Sports Communications
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