March 24, 2004
The Illinois women's tennis team finished off its five-day excursion to the Sunshine State with a strong showing in a 6-1 victory at the University of South Florida (3-10) in Tampa this afternoon. Coach Sujay Lama's troops bolstered their season record to 9-3 with Illinois' first-ever victory over the Bulls after having lost to them in all four previous meetings.
"Our players had a very businesslike approach today, and I was very pleased with that," said Lama. "This week has been great for us. We had three solid practices, we got in a trip to Busch Gardens and we had a chance to watch our men's team pick up a big win last night at the University of Florida. Although we had some fun on this trip, our objective has been to improve as a team and as individuals, and I think we met that goal."
The Fighting Illini wasted no time in taking charge this afternoon. They took the doubles point after sweeping the three doubles matches. Jennifer McGaffigan and Cynthya Goulet, the ninth-ranked duo in the nation, were ahead, 4-1, in the No. 1 match, when their USF opponents, Gabriela Duch and Fabiana Tavera, retired due to injury. Isabel Jarosz and Tiffany Eklov sailed, 8-3, over the Bulls' Marie Andrade and Luisa Obando at No. 2, and Emily Wang and Brianna Knue came up with an 8-4 victory in the No. 3 spot over Patricia Kolendo and Yuri Kurashima.
After the intermission, Illinois picked up right where it left off, winning five of the six singles matches in straight sets. McGaffigan, ranked No. 34, picked up her 22nd victory of the season, a 6-4, 6-3 decision over USF's Duch, at the top of the lineup. Fellow senior Tiffany Eklov was sharp as well, delivering a 6-1, 6-2 win over Andrade at No. 2, and boosting her singles record this spring to 11-1. Another encouraging sign was the play by Illinois' third senior, Eva Choe, at the No. 6 spot. Choe has experienced some difficulty after returning from ACL surgery, but was very effective this afternoon as she dispatched Gina Craig, 6-2, 6-1.
In other singles action, Knue defeated Kurashima, 6-0, 6-3, in the No. 5 contest, and Goulet had no trouble with Kolendo, winning 6-2, 6-1, at No. 3. The only match standing between Illinois and a shutout was Louisa Obando's win over UI freshman Isabel Jarosz, 6-3, 2-6, (10-3) at No. 4.
"Tiffany looked strong and dominating today," said Lama. "She was very sharp. Jenny was also hitting the ball very well for us. It's great to see our seniors leading the way so well. Their hard work and intensity is rubbing off onto the other players, and that's the way it should be."
The Fighting Illini hope to keep their winning ways going when they return to campus tomorrow to prepare for Saturday's home match against Minnesota and Sunday's tilt with No. 38 Iowa at the Atkins Tennis Center. The Golden Gophers are struggling at 2-10, while the Hawkeyes bring an 11-3 record into this weekend's action. Iowa plays at Purdue on Saturday, while Minnesota plays on Sunday in West Lafayette. These two matches constitute the front half of a four-match home stand for the Illini. Wisconsin and perennial Big Ten power Northwestern will be in Champaign-Urbana the weekend of April 3 and 4.
"Our players are very excited about getting back into Big Ten play," said Lama. "They're fired up. While we would have preferred to have open the conference season with a win, I think our team learned a lot from the loss at Purdue. They know how hard they have to work, how much they have to focus, if they are to be successful in the Big Ten this year."
#28 ILLINOIS 6 at South Florida 1
Singles:
1. #34 Jennifer McGaffigan (ILL) def. Gabriela Duch (USF) 6-4, 6-3
2. Tiffany Eklov (ILL) def. Marie Andrade (USF) 6-1, 6-2
3. Cynthya Goulet (ILL) def. Patricia Kolendo (USF) 6-2, 6-1
4. Luisa Obando (USF) def. Isabel Jarosz (ILL) 6-3, 2-6, (10-3)
5. Brianna Knue (ILL) def. Yuri Kurashima (USF) 6-0, 6-3
6. Eva Choe (ILL) def. Gina Craig (USF) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles: 1. #9 Cynthya Goulet/Jennifer McGaffigan (ILL) def. Gabriela Duch/Fabiana Tavera (USF) 4-1 (ret.) 2. Tiffany Eklov/Isabel Jarosz (ILL) def. Marie Andrade/Luisa Obando (USF) 8-3 3. Brianna Knue/Emily Wang (ILL) def. Yuri Kurashima/Patricia Kolendo (USF) 8-4
