Coach Thornqvist’s Freshmen Find Success in Chapel Hill

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.– The Gators concluded its time at the 2024 Kitty Harrison Invitational with one final singles victory. The win came from Florida newcomer, Noemie Oliveras. After three days of play, the Gators will come home with a combined eight victories, five of which can be sourced to a freshman. 
 
The Gators sole victory on Sunday afternoon came from Oliveras on court two. Oliveras took on Alana Boyce from North Carolina and put up a fight from set one. The initial set resulted in a tiebreak at 6-6. After battling the Tar Heel for several points, the tiebreaker ultimately went UNC’s way at 7-3, however Oliveras was just getting started. The second set proved to be a challenge as well, but this time it fell in Oliveras’ favor at 7-5. After splitting sets, court two went into a 10-point match tiebreaker.
 
The match tiebreaker on court two was a thriller, mirroring the close-knit play from sets one and two. With lead shifts going back and forth it was an all-out battle to close out the match. Oliveras dug deep one last time while tied at 9-9 to claim the final two points of the match and defeat Boyce 11-9 in the third.

The Gators came up short in doubles after tallying multiple wins in this category on the first two days of competition. Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee took their first loss in Chapel Hill against Carson Tanguilig and Susana Maltby. The doubles contest ended in a tiebreaker with a final score of 7-6(2).

 

For the first time this fall Qavia Lopez and Noemie Oliveras were paired together in the doubles category. The Florida duo was met with adversity from the start and only managed to claim one game off North Carolina’s Thea Rabman and Tatum Evans for a final score of 6-1.

 

 Head Coach Roland Thornqvist Said:

Coach Thornqvist’s overall thoughts on today’s matches:

“There’s no doubt the minor injuries we’ve suffered are annoying but we also witnessed great performances both in doubles as well as a few in singles. None more than the gutsy win by Noemie today.”

 

Coach Thornqvist outlook on the fall and tournament play:

“These fall events are less about how many matches we win and more about developing the appropriate level of courage and confidence.”

 

Coach Thornqvist on what the team will do in preparation for ITA All-Americans:

“We will head back to Gainesville and focus on…