Women's tennis falls to No. 1 Florida again

Last spring, it was for the NCAA title. Last month, it was for the National Indoors title. Last week, it was just for pride.

But as the stakes have changed in what is quickly becoming college tennis' premier rivalry, one thing has remained the same-the outcome. For the 21st time in 22 meetings, No. 1 Florida (14-0) defeated No. 2 Duke (10-3), 5-3, in Gainesville last week.

"Against 99 percent of the teams we play we have a mental edge when we walk on the court," Duke coach Jamie Ashworth said. "We go out and say, 'We should win,' and against Florida it's, 'We could win.' There's a big difference there, and that's to Florida's advantage. Until we prove we can close out, they're gonna have it."

While the Blue Devils' exact problems may be difficult to identify, the match's turning point was not. With the team score tied at two, Gator three-seed Jessica Lehnhoff retired from her match with Duke's Megan Miller. At the time, everybody, including Florida coach Andi Brandi, thought they had seen the last of Lehnhoff, who just minutes before had laid on the court in visible agony, suffering from severe cramping.

They were wrong.

After Florida's Whitney Laiho defeated Kristin Sanderson to even the score at three, Lehnhoff and partner Stephanie Nickitas, ranked No. 5 in the nation, promptly led the Gators to a doubles sweep, sealing the victory.

"I wasn't expecting her to come back," Ashworth said. "She showed more heart than I've seen in a women's college match. In singles she was screaming because she couldn't move; she couldn't get up. When she walked on the court to play doubles all three teams fed off that."

The added motivation may have been more than the Gators needed. Although Duke has raced out to a 10-3 start and a No. 2 national ranking, it has done it without the help of a consistent doubles lineup. And against Florida, even Duke's most consistent tandem, Vanessa Webb and Karen Goldstein, couldn't pull it together as it suffered its first dual-team defeat.