Florida Women’s Tennis wins the regular season SEC Championship title

The Florida women’s tennis team wins the SEC regular season championship after beating Tennessee 4-0 Sunday. The senior-less team spent their season finale celebrating the title win and looking forward to the upcoming SEC tournament.

“I’m just really proud of our players, really,” head coach Roland Thornqvist says of his team, “It’s been a long season, and a lot of close tough matches, a lot of tough and long and close sets, and I think our players have been outstanding in pressure moments all season long.”

The match started out with difficult doubles play. The duo of Spencer Liang and Peggy Porter got an 8-4 victory on Court 3, while the other two courts were trailing. Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan forced a tiebreak in their match, but before they could capitalize on their 5-3 lead, Josie Kuhlman and Belinda Woolcock defeated their opponent 8-6, taking the doubles point for Florida.

“We do need to continue to improve on some things,” Thornqvist says, “but overall I think we communicated well and we have a good idea of what we’re trying to do when we play doubles now and that’s very important going into the post season.”

When the Gators got to singles play, the momentum picked up in their favor. Florida made quick work of Tennessee, sweeping three singles matches after an hour of play. Brooke Austin was the first to win, taking both sets 6-1. She had taken an early lead, but struggled to finish the game. After coming back to win the next one, she powered forward dropping only one more game.

“I was so mad I lost that game that it sort of motivated me for pretty much the next set and a half,” Austin says about her match, “and then after that once I got up 6-1, 4-1, I just sort of tried to stay focused and close it out.”

Once Austin had her win, it was a race to the finish for the remaining singles matches. Earning the second point just a minute later, Kourtney Keegan defeated her opponent 6-3, 6-0. Belinda Woolcock followed after one more minute sweeping her match 6-1, 6-0. This was Woolcock’s first singles win since Missouri on March 15th.

“She had a great forehand and her backhand, sometimes she’d mix it up and slice sometimes and then she would hit over with top-spin,” Woolcock says about her fight for the match point, “I really just had to keep my cool and stick to trying to hit it to her backhand. I think I did a good job at the end just by focusing on my target and staying aggressive.”

The Gators have claimed the SEC regular season title 28 times out of the program’s 35 year history. This is the 10th time head coach Roland Thornqvist has led his team to the title in his 14 years coaching at Florida.

The postseason will get started at the SEC Tournament in Columbia, South Carolina. The Gators will start their tournament action on Wednesday, April 15th.

Listen here for more from Coach Thornqvist, Belinda Woolcock, and Brooke Austin:

Thornqvist talks about his team and their performance this season

Thornqvist talks about the doubles play

Austin talks about her singles match

Woolcock talks about her singles match

About Shannon Begin

Check Also

Orange & Blue Sports Network

Catch the student-led broadcasts from the College of Journalism and Communications right here.

LIVE THREAD: National Signing Day

Here’s an updated thread of all the recruits who picked the Gator hat today! RB …

AFC Divisional Round Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

During last weekend’s NFL Wild Card round, the Steelers made a statement by handing the Dolphins a …

Houston Looking For an Upset in Foxborough

The saying has always been “it’s hard to beat a good team twice,” and in …

Blue Jackets vs. Lightning Tonight

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be facing each other once …

Possible Additions to McElwain’s Recruiting Class Visiting this Weekend

With National Signing Day less than three weeks away, the Gators are hosting several talented …

Florida Gymnastics Prepares for Season Opener

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Florida Gator gymnastics team will kick off their season this Sunday …

Surprised Gators Promote Randy Shannon To Defensive Coordinator? You Shouldn’t Be

Florida’s head coach, Jim McElwain, announced Friday morning that Randy Shannon would be making the …

Quarterbacks in Spotlight for NFL Wild Card Weekend

The NFL Wild Card kicks off Saturday and the quarterback situations could not be any more different. On …

College Football Playoff Shakes Up Schedule

The College Football Playoff was a success in its first year. Yet, that doesn’t stop …

Michael Jordan Speaks out about Shootings, Police Officers

NBA great Michael Jordan opened up about his thoughts about shootings of African-Americans and the …

Treon Harris to Transfer

With the college football season approaching, the Florida Gators have announced that former starting QB …

USA Basketball Wins Second Exhibition Game

Just a few short days after their big win over Argentina, team USA won its …

Charlotte Is No Longer The Home Of The 2017 NBA All-Star Game

The House Bill 2 came between Charlotte, North Carolina and the 2017 All-Star Game. The …

Tampa Bay Rays Continue Series Against Oakland

The Tampa Bay Rays are continuing their three-game winning streak. The Rays defeated the Oakland …

MLB Preview Tonight

It’s summer time—the best time to go to a baseball game and experience the atmosphere. …

Braves Begin Series With Rockies

The Atlanta Braves (33-62) open up a four-game road series with the Rockies (43-51) tonight …

Marlins To Close Out Series With The Phillies

The Miami Marlins are in the middle of a crucial ten game span against NL East …

Rays Crush Rockies 11-3, Face A’s Next

In the midst of a terrible season that has seen the Tampa Bay Rays (37-57) …

American League Second Half Outlook

The second half of the baseball season is in full swing which translates to? Pennant races. Teams …

National League Evening Preview

Tonight is a busy night for the National League in the MLB. Starting with the …

Big 12 Looks To Expand

Following a Tuesday meeting between Big 12 presidents, Oklahoma president David Boren announced that the …

LSU Looks To Capitalize On Its Opportunity

The Louisiana State University Tigers will enter the 2016 college football season with high expectations, …

Muschamp Helps Close Out SEC Media Days 2016

It wasn’t Will Muschamps first SEC Media Days experience, but 2016 marked the first time …

Phil Mickelson Leads British Open After First Day

The 145th annual 2016 British Open is underway at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. The …

Missouri’s Football Crisis: Rebuilding A Program

On the final day of SEC Media Days, Barry Odom took the stand as Missouri’s head …

Second Half Of MLB Season Begins

The All-Star Break is a good time for teams to rest up and reform themselves …

British Open Underway

The 145th Open Championship is already underway at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Welcome …

Newberry Softball Caps Week With Third Run-Rule Win In A Row

By Hannah Getman and Adam Edelin  The Newberry High School softball team beat the Eastside …