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Women’s NTI QF Recap: Ohio State Tops Oklahoma State; UNC Ousts Defending Champs; Gators Too Much For T-Tech, Georgia Rides Marta Past Pepperdine

by | Feb 11, 2017 | Blog

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The battle of the OSU’s ended up being the closest match of the day in New Haven with Ohio State getting the best of Oklahoma State 4-3. Oklahoma State rolled through the doubles point with a 6-2 win at No. 2 and a 6-1 win at No. 3 but Ohio State bounced back in singles and took four opening sets.

Oklahoma State’s Aliona Bolsova extended the Cowgirls lead to 2-0 with a straight set win at No. 4 but Ohio State would pick up straight set wins from Francesca Di Lorenzo, Gabriella De Santis, and Ferny Angeles Paz at No. 1, No. 3, and No. 6 to make it 3-2 Ohio State. The other two matches went the distance with Oklahoma State’s Katarina Adamovic getting the win at No. 2 to tie the match at 3-3 but Ohio State’s Miho Kowase would pull away from Carla Tur Mari in the decider at No. 6 and take it 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

 

#7 Ohio State 4, #5 Oklahoma State 3
Feb 11, 2017 at New Haven, Conn. (Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #1 Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU) def. #10 Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) 6-3, 7-5
2. #56 Katarina Adamovic (OKST) def. #55 Anna Sanford (OSU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
3. #68 Gabriella De Santis (OSU) def. #33 Vladica Babic (OKST) 6-4, 7-5
4. Aliona Bolsova (OKST) def. Sandy Niehaus (OSU) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
5. #84 Miho Kowase (OSU) def. #42 Carla Tur Mari (OKST) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
6. #86 Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU) def. Lena Ruppert (OKST) 6-3, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #5 Vladica Babic/Carla Tur Mari (OKST) vs. Anna Sanford/Sandy Niehaus (OSU) 3-5, unfinished
2. Sofia Blanco/Aliona Bolsova (OKST) def. Miho Kowase/Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU) 6-2
3. Katarina Adamovic/Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) def. Ferny Angeles Paz/Olivia Sneed (OSU) 6-1
Match Notes
Ohio State 7-0; National ranking #7
Oklahoma State 7-1; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (4,1,3,6,2,5)
ITA National Team Indoors quarterfinals
Oklahoma State No. 3 seed
Ohio State No. 6 seed

Post-Match Quotes from Ohio State’s recap
“This was just a really good college tennis match on both sides,” Melissa Schaub, Ohio State head coach said. “We rebounded well in singles after a rough doubles point. We competed at every spot today and that’s what we need to continue doing moving forward. This win definitely feels good but we will have another tough one tomorrow so we need to be ready.”

 

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North Carolina avenged a loss to Cal in last year’s NTI Championship with a 4-2 win in the second match of the day on Saturday. North Carolina cruised through the doubles point after winning 6-2 at No. 1 and 6-1 at No. 3.

Each team took three first sets in singles and UNC’s Chloe Ouellet-Pizer would be the first one off the court with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 6. About 10 minutes later Cal’s Maya Jansen would cut the deficit to 2-1 with a straight set win at No. 5 but UNC’s Hayley Carter would extend it to 3-1 with a straight set win at No. 1. Cal’s Olivia Hauger won in straight sets at No. 4 to make it 3-2 but UNC’s Jessie Aney would beat her teammate Sara Daavettila to the finish line with a 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 win at No. 3 to clinch the 4-2 win. Daavettila’s match at No. 2 was abandoned with her serving for the match up 5-2 in the third. 

 

#2 North Carolina 4, #7 California 2
Feb 11, 2017 at New Haven Ct
Singles Results
1. #5 Hayley Carter (UNC) def. #36 Maegan Manasse (Cal) 6-2, 7-6 (2)
2. #2 Sara Daavettila (UNC) vs. #20 Karla Popovic (Cal) 5-7, 6-3, *5-2, unfinished
3. #17 Jessie Aney (UNC) def. Denise Starr (Cal) 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-4
4. Olivia Hauger (Cal) def. #48 Alexa Graham (UNC) 6-4, 6-3
5. Maya Jansen (Cal) def. Rachael James-Baker (UNC) 6-0, 7-5
6. Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) def. Maria Smith (Cal) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles Results
1. Carter/Daavettila (UNC) def. #49 Jansen/Manasse (Cal) 6-2
2. Aney/Vazquez (UNC) vs. #20 Hauger/Popovic (Cal) 3-4
3. James-Baker/Ouellet Pizer (UNC) def. Starr/Nelson (Cal) 6-1
Match Notes
North Carolina 7-0; National ranking #2
California 4-1; National ranking #8
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,5,1,4,3) 
 

Post-Match Video Interview with UNC assistant coach Courtney Nagle via FloTennis

Post-Match Quotes from Cal’s recap
“There’s a reason we played them in the final last year,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “They’re a very good team. The level of play on all courts was really high. It was a fantastic match for us. Obviously at this point of the tournament, everybody’s good. A couple points here and there could’ve changed things. We didn’t come out as aggressive in the doubles as I would’ve liked. We were playing from behind a little bit. That’s a good lesson to learn in February. We’ll work on that for sure.
 
“I thought we competed really hard, which I was pleased with. They’re a well-coached team. We made adjustments; they made adjustments. I was really pleased to see the level we competed at today. It bodes well for us if we can continue to work hard and improve as the weeks go on.”
 
“This is a great team tournament,” Augustus said. “We’ve got another match to play tomorrow and have another opportunity to make adjustments. We’re excited to play tomorrow and then go home and work on what we learned here.”
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Georgia advanced to the NTI semifinals for the 18th time in school history with a 4-1 win over Pepperdine. Georgia put itself in a hole for the second day in a row after Pepperdine won the doubles point with 6-4 wins at both No. 1 and No. 3. Georgia took four first sets in singles and quickly picked up three wins with Ellen Perez, Elena Christofi, and Mariana Gould only dropping a combined nine games at 1, 2, and 5. Georgia freshman Marta Gonzalez would get the clincher at No. 5 after breaking Jean Rungledkriangkrai to go up 5-4 in the third and then she’d hold on the deciding point to take it 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. 
 

 

#6 Georgia 4, #3 Pepperdine 1
Feb 11, 2017 at New Haven, Conn. (Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Ellen Perez (UGA) def. #22 Ashley Lahey (PU) 6-3, 6-2
2. #18 Elena Christofi (UGA) def. #14 Mayar Sherif (PU) 6-2, 6-0
3. #72 Laura Gulbe (PU) vs. #39 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) 7-5, 3-6, 3-3, unfinished
4. Dzina Milovanovic (PU) vs. #34 Caroline Brinson (UGA) 7-6 (7-3), 5-5, unfinished
5. #76 Marta Gonzalez (UGA) def. A. Rungledkriangkrai (PU) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
6. Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Christine Maddox (PU) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #4 Christine Maddox/Mayar Sherif (PU) def. Ellen Perez/Elena Christofi (UGA) 6-4
2. Caroline Brinson/Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Ashley Lahey/A. Rungledkriangkrai (PU) 6-2
3. Laura Gulbe/Dzina Milovanovic (PU) def. Marta Gonzalez/Mariana Gould (UGA) 6-4
Match Notes
Georgia 5-0; National ranking #6
Pepperdine 3-2; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,1,2,5)
ITA National Team Indoors: Quarterfinals
T-2:50 

Post-Match Quotes from UGA’s recap
“The whole team came out on a mission in singles,” said Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace. “We know with the doubles format, you’re going to win some and lose some, and we did a great job in the first set in singles. Ellen, Mariana and Elena put up three quick points and the other three were battling in their matches.”

“Marta just hung in there after playing a solid first set and then her opponent got the hot hand in the second set, and it was a battle in the third. It was a great win for Marta and our team.”

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Florida advanced to the semifinals for the second time in the last three years with a 4-1 win over Texas Tech. Early on it looked Texas Tech was in good position to take the doubles point after it jumped out to a 4-0 lead at No. 1 and a 2-0 lead at No. 3 but Florida would come charging back on both courts. Florida’s Ingrid Neel and Anna Danilina won easily at No. 2 by a 6-0 score and it’s No. 1 team of Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan ended up winning seven of the final eight games to clinch the point with a 7-5 win over Sabrinia Federici and Sarah Dvorak. Texas Tech did pick up a 7-5 win at No. 3 doubles in a match that ended at the same time that Florida clinched at No. 1.

Florida played well in singles and after taking four opening sets they’d get straight set wins from Belinda Woolcock, Ingrid Neel, and Josie Kuhlman with Kuhlman clinching at No. 4. Texas Tech picked up its lone point from Felicity Maltby who defeated Anna Danilina in straight sets at No. 2. 

 

 

#1 Florida 4, #12 Texas Tech 1
Feb 11, 2017 at New Haven, Conn. (Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center)
Singles Results
1. #40 Belinda Woolcock (UF) def. #15 Gabriela Talaba (TTU) 6-4, 6-3
2. #116 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. #23 Anna Danilina (UF) 6-2, 6-4
3. #45 Ingrid Neel (UF) def. Sarah Dvorak (TTU) 6-0, 6-4
4. #19 Josie Kuhlman (UF) def. Alex Valenstein (TTU) 6-3, 6-4*
5. Brooke Austin (UF) vs. Sabrina Federici (TTU) 7-6 (6), 3-4 DNF
6. #41 Spencer Liang (UF)  vs. Katelyn Jackson (TTU) 1-6, 6-1, 2-3 DNF
Doubles Results
1. #18 Brooke Austin/Kourtney Keegan (UF) def. #23 S. Federici/S. Dvorak (TTU) 7-5*
2. #22 Anna Danilina/Ingrid Neel (UF) def. L. Kiro/A. Valenstein (TTU) 6-0
3. F. Maltby/G. Talaba (TTU) def. #17 Belinda Woolcock/Josie Kuhlman (UF) 7-5
Match Notes
Florida 5-0; National ranking #1
Texas Tech 4-2; National ranking #12
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,2,1,4*)

Post-Match Quotes from head coach Roland Thornqvist via  Florida’s recap
“It was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde match for us. We played great at No. 2 doubles and started off super slow at one doubles, but was able to turn it around. We had some of the same in singles, where a couple courts started off really well and a couple of courts it took us a while to warm up. The good thing about this squad is that we don’t seem to panic. We keep our poise and keep plugging away. It seems we get a little bit tougher and a little bit stronger with every 30 minutes that goes by. I was pleased at the end that we were able to win 4-1.

“Our resiliency really stood out today. Belinda (Woolcock) was really good. She was determined and held onto the ball great. Ingrid (Neel) and Josie (Kuhlman) were super efficient. On courts five and six we were in big holes and we were able to turn it around. Overall, I was pleased. Texas Tech was a really tough team. They are great competitors so I was super happy with the win.”

FloTennis Video Interview with Roland Thornqvist

 
Consolation Scores:
#11 Georgia Tech def. #19 Ole Miss 5-2
#14 Auburn def. Yale 4-1
#13 Michigan def. [8] #9 Vanderbilt 4-1
#15 Texas A&M def. #10 Duke 4-3
 
Sunday Schedule (Both Matches at Yale):
[2] North Carolina vs. [6] Ohio State – 12:30 p.m. ET
[1] Florida vs. [5] Georgia – 3:30 p.m ET
 
Consolation
Ole Miss at Yale – 9:30 a.m. ET
Georgia Tech vs. Auburn – 9:30 a.m. ET (Rocky Hill)
[3] Oklahoma State vs. [7] California – 12:30 p.m. ET (Rocky Hill)
[4] Pepperdine vs. Texas Tech – 3:30 p.m. ET (Rocky Hill)
[8] Vanderbilt vs. Duke – 6:30 p.m. ET (Yale)
Michigan vs. Texas A&M – 6:30 p.m. ET (Rocky Hill)

 

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[2] North Carolina vs. [6] Ohio State, 12:30 p.m. ET   
Projected Singles Lineup (UTR Power 6 – North Carolina 68, Ohio State 68)
1. #5 Hayley Carter (UNC 11.84) vs. #1 Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU 12.58)
2. #2 Sara Daavettila (UNC 12.03) vs. #55 Anna Sanford (OSU 11.18)
3. #17 Jessie Aney (UNC 11.59) vs. #68 Gaby Desantis (OSU 10.76)
4. #48 Alexa Graham (UNC 11.42) vs. Sandy Niehaus (OSU 10.75)
5. #60 Makenna Jones (UNC 10.92) vs. #84 Miho Kowase (OSU 11.65)
6. Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC 10.42) vs. Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU 11.37)
B. Rachael James Baker (UNC 10.39) ; #111 Oliva Sneed (OSU 10.68
 
Ohio State has dropped the doubles point in two of its last three matches while North Carolina has won it in all seven of its matches. I think whoever takes the doubles point will win the match and with singles pretty evenly divided neither team can afford to start off in a 1-0 hole. I like Di Lorenzo, Kowase, and Angeles Paz for Ohio State while I’m going with Daavettila, Aney, and Graham for UNC. Tar Heels take the doubles point and therefore take the match. Prediction: North Carolina 4-3
 
 
[1] Florida vs. [5] Georgia, 3:30 p.m.  
Projected Singles Lineups (UTR Power 6 – Florida 71, Georgia 68)
1. #40 Belinda Woolcock (UF 11.66) vs. Ellen Perez (UGA 11.98)
2. #23 Anna Danillina (UF 11.91) vs. #18 Eleni Christofi (UGA 11.71)
3. #45 Ingrid Neel (UF 11.91) vs. #39 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA 11.56)
4. #19 Josie Kuhlman (UF 12.07) vs. #34 Caroline Brinson (UGA 11.27)
5. Brooke Austin (UF 11.78) vs. #76 Marta Gonzalez (UGA 10.76)
6. #30 Kourtney Keegan (UF 11.78) vs. Mariana Gould (UGA 11.00)
B. #41 Spencer Liang (UF 11.16); Laura Patterson (UGA 10.61)
 
Georgia has yet to win the doubles point this week but they’ve only dropped one match in singles while Florida has split the doubles point and also only dropped one match in singles. I like Florida in doubles and Neel, Kuhlman, and Austin in singles at 3, 4, and 5 while I’ll take Perez, Christofi, and Gould at 1, 2, and 6 for Georgia. Prediction: Florida 4-3
 
 
 
 

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