NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Top-seeded Florida won five of six singles matches, including a pair of three-set matches, to beat third-seeded Duke 5-1 to win its third NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship and second in three years. Senior Dawn Buth and freshman Stephanie Hazlett finished off three-set matches within seconds of each other to lift Florida from a 3-1 lead to 5-1 final. The championships are being held at the Courtney Tennis Center at the University of Notre Dame and continue with the individual singles and doubles championships which begin Mon., May 25, at 9:00 a.m.
The Gators end the season with a perfect 27-0 record, the third unbeaten team in Florida history, along with the 1992 and 1996 NCAA championship teams. Duke, after upsetting second-seeded Stanford 5-4 in Saturday's semifinals, finishes the season at 27-4, the most wins in school history.
Gator junior Stephanie Nickitas put Florida up 1-0 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Duke freshman Megan Miller at No. 3 singles before Blue Devil senior Laura Zifer beat sophomore Traci Green at No. 6 singles 6-3, 6-4 to knot the score at 1-1.
Florida freshman Whitney Laiho then rallied for a 6-3, 7-6 win at No. 4 singles after Duke junior Karen Goldstein served for the second set at 5-4. Gator sophomore M.C. White won 7-6, 6-2 over junior Kristin Sanderson at No. 2 singles to put the Gators ahead 3-1.
Buth rallied to beat Duke junior Vanessa Webb 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 at No. 1 singles after Web rallied from 4-1 down in the third set to serve for the match at 5-4. Buth broke Webb twice in the final three games to close out the match for a 4-1 Gator lead. Hazlett clinched the championship with a 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles over freshman Kathy Sell. Hazlett led 3-0 in the final set before Sell rallied to knot the score at 3-3 and led 40-0 in the seventh game of the third set. Hazlett came back to win the final three games and the match.
Florida's three women's tennis championships are second only to Stanford's nine championships. The Gators, playing in their seventh NCAA final and fourth consecutive, boast a 3-4 record in NCAA finals. Duke was making its first appearance in the NCAA finals.
Match Notes
Florida claims its third national championship, The Gators also won titles in 1992 and 1996. Only Stanford has won more women's tennis national crowns (nine) than the Gators.
Today was the fourth consecutive year that Florida played in the title match and the seventh time in school history. The Gators have posted a 3-4 mark in their seven national final appearances.
With the 5-1 victory over Duke, Florida now leads the all-time series between the two school 18-1. The lone Duke victory came on April 2, 1994 when the Blue Devils captured a 5-3 victory in Durham. Since that win, the Blue Devils have lost six straight to the Gators, The Blue Devils also dropped a 5-1 setback during the season on March 22 in Durham.
Florida improved its record to 27-0 on the season with the win over Duke. This is the third Gator squad to finish the season undefeated. Florida also had undefeated campaigns in 1991-92 (30-0) and 1995-96 (31-0).
Florida is now 35-13 in its 16 NCAA tournament appearances.
With Florida's win today, Gator coach Andy Brandi picked up his 380th career win. In 14 seasons with the Gators, his teams have compiled a 380-35 record.
Florida's 27-match winning streak is the fifth longest in school history. The Gators have not lost since their 5-1 setback to Stanford in the finals of the '97 NCAA tournament.
With her 6-3, 7-6 win over Karen Goldstein, Florida freshman Whitney Laiho extended her singles winning streak to 18 matches.
Duke was the first number three seed since Stanford in 1994 to advance to the national final.
The Duke women's tennis team was just the second women's team at Duke to advance to a national final (the other was the women's soccer team in 1993). The Blue Devils are the first Atlantic Coast Conference school to finish runner-up at the NCAA tournament.
Duke records its highest finish ever in the NCAA tournament and finishes the season with a 27-4 record. The 27 wins by the Blue Devils represent the most in school history. The loss to Florida today snapped a 15-match win streak for the Blue Devils.
Duke assistant coach Shaun Stafford-Beckish was a former Gator All-American under coach Andy Brandi. She claimed the NCAA singles crown in 1988.
