April 14, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The No. 23-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team suffered a 4-1 setback at No. 3 Florida on Saturday but still came away with a first-round bye for next week’s SEC Tournament as the No. 4 seed.

The Gamecocks finished the regular season with a 16-5 overall record and went 8-3 in the SEC, the second-most conference wins in school history. Florida ended at 19-1, and its 10-1 league mark was good for a share of the SEC regular-season championship with Georgia.

Carolina fell behind early by losing the doubles point. Megan Alexander and Anastasia Revzina were 8-4 winners at the third slot against Miranda Gutierrez and Natasa Vuckovic. Whitney Benik and Nina Suvak clinched the point for the Gators when they upended Laura Ganzer and Megan McGavock 8-3 on court 2. The match between USC’s Gira Schofield and Ana Marija Zubori, and UF’s Csilla Borsanyi and Diana Srebrovic at the top spot was suspended once the doubles had been decided.

Suvak scored Florida’s second point when she beat McGavock 6-3, 6-0 at No. 4 singles, but the Gamecocks answered with Zubori’s 6-3, 6-4 upset of No. 20 Alexander at the second spot. It was the freshman’s first career victory against a ranked opponent and her 29th of the season.

The next two matches belonged to the Gators, though, with No. 18 Srebrovic first defeating Schofield 6-3, 6-4 on court 1 and Benik next registering a 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 triumph over Gutierrez at the No. 6 position. Vuckovic and Ganzer did not finish their contests with Revzina and Borsanyi at three and five singles after Florida secured the team win.

The SEC Tournament begins Thursday in Lexington, Ky., with first-round action at Boone Tennis Complex. South Carolina will play its first match Friday.

#3 Florida (19-1, 10-1 SEC) def. #23 South Carolina (16-5, 8-3 SEC), 4-1

Singles
1. #18 Diana Srebrovic, UF, def. #55 Gira Schofield, USC, 6-3, 6-4
2. Ana Marija Zubori, USC, def. #20 Megan Alexander, UF, 6-3, 6-4
3. Natasa Vuckovic, USC, vs. Anastasia Revzina, UF, DNF
4. #94 Nina Suvak, UF, def. Megan McGavock, USC, 6-3, 6-0
5. Laura Ganzer, USC, vs. #68 Csilla Borsanyi, UF, DNF
6. Whitney Benik, UF, def. Miranda Gutierrez, USC, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1

Order of finish: 4, 2, 1, 6

Doubles
1. #32 Schofield/Zubori, USC, vs. Borsanyi/Srebrovic, UF, DNF
2. Benik/Suvak, UF, def. Ganzer/McGavock, USC, 8-3
3. Alexander/Revzina, UF, def. Gutierrez/Vuckovic, USC, 8-4

Order of finish: 3, 2