April 13, 2002
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 19th-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team’s bid for an upset of 2nd-ranked Florida fell short Saturday afternoon as the Gators escaped Columbia with a 4-2 win in the final regular season match for both teams.
USC falls to 14-6 overall and 7-4 in the SEC. Florida, meanwhile, improves to 16-1 overall and 10-1 in the SEC.
USC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the match by taking two doubles matches for the valuable doubles point. Carolina’s 28th-ranked Lynn-Yin Tan and Jodi Kenoyer disposed of Florida’s Alexis Gordon and Julia Scaringe, 8-5, at No. 2 doubles for the first win. At No. 1 doubles, USC’s 45th-ranked pair of Jennifer Radman and Kathy Boyanovich recorded an 8-6 upset win over 5th-ranked Lindsay Dawaf and Jessica Lehnhoff. That win is Radman/Boyanovich’s second win over a Top 5 opponent this season and their fourth win overall against a ranked foe.
In singles action, Florida got on the board first with a win at No. 2 singles as 19th-ranked Lindsay Dawaf beat 85th-ranked Jennifer Radman 6-1, 6-1.
USC retook the lead momentarily when Jodi Kenoyer beat Julia Scaringe at No. 5, winning 6-2, 6-3. But the Gators pulled even again at 2-2 when 39th-ranked Zerene Reyes beat Lynn-Yin Tan at No. 4, winning 6-4, 6-1. Florida’s 2nd-ranked Jessica Lehnhoff was tested mightily by Carolina’s 72nd-ranked Katarina Markovski at No. 1 singles, but Lehnhoff was able to survive with a critical 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win to give UF a 3-2 lead in the match.
The Gators clinched the match at No. 6 singles when Annika Bengtsson beat Tamara Sutton 6-2, 7-6 (3).
Both teams are back in action next weekend in Columbia as USC hosts the 2002 SEC Tournament April 18-21.
Match Results
Florida 4, USC 2
Doubles
1. (45) Radman/Boyanovich (USC) vs. (5) Dawaf/Lehnhoff (UF) 8-6*
2. (28) Tan/Kenoyer (USC) vs. Gordon/Scaringe (UF) 8-5
3. Markovski/Ayako Suzuki (USC) vs. Bengtsson/Reyes (UF) DNF
* South Carolina wins the doubles point, Order of finish: 2, 1
(Match at No. 3 doubles was suspended due to time constraints with Florida leading 6-3)
Singles
1. (2) Jessica Lehnhoff (UF) def. (72) Katarina Markovski (USC) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. (19) Lindsay Dawaf (UF) def. (85) Jennifer Radman (USC) 6-1, 6-1
3. Kathy Boyanovich (USC) vs. (94) Alexis Gordon (UF) DNF
4. (39) Zerene Reyes (UF) def. Lynn-Yin Tan (USC) 6-4, 6-1
5. Jodi Kenoyer (USC) def. Julia Scaringe (UF) 6-2, 6-3
6. Annika Bengtsson (UF) def. Tamara Sutton (USC) 6-2, 7-6(3)*
* Clinched dual match win
Order of finish: 2, 5, 4, 1, 6
(ITA National Collegiate Rankings)
