UF Dominates Final at 2015 USTA Tennis on Campus Florida Sectional Championship

The University of Florida won the USTA Tennis on Campus Florida Sectional Championship on Sunday for the third year in a row and the eighth out of the last nine years, with the UF-“A” team defeating the UF-“B” team in the final 29-21 on Feb. 21-22, 2015 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

It was the first time a school advanced two teams to the top-level Gold Bracket final of the Florida Sectional Championship match.

“Sending three teams to sectionals, with two teams making the finals of the Gold Bracket and the other winning third place in a very competitive Silver Bracket is a testament to the depth of our group and competitiveness of all our players,” said UF captain Max Koller. “Everyone from our school really enjoys spending a weekend away together and playing great tennis.”

The UF-“A” team’s road to the final in the Gold Bracket, following the round robin competition, consisted of wins over the University of South Florida-“B” team and in the semifinals the University of Central Florida-“A” squad. The UF-“B” team advanced in the Gold Bracket with victories over the FSU-“B” team, and in the semifinals edging the University of Miami-“A” team 25-24 in a deciding super-tiebreaker.

In the Silver Bracket final the Florida Gulf Coast University-“A” team defeated the USF-“A” team 25-21, and the Bronze Bracket was won by the UM-“C” team which beat Stetson 26-21.

Nine schools and 20 teams competed at the 2015 USTA ‘Tennis on Campus’ Florida Sectional Championship. Participating schools were Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida State University, Stetson University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, University of South Florida, and University of Tampa.

Advancing to the USTA Tennis on Campus National Championships will be the University of Florida, along with the University of Central Florida and the University of Miami.

Invalid Displayed Gallery

The UF squad will be on a mission this year at the national championships, attempting to take their string of runner-up appearances one further. UF has reached the final of the national championships in four of the last five years, but has been turned away each time in losses to the University of California-Berkeley (2014), University of Georgia (2013), UCLA (2011) and University of California-Berkeley (2010).

“We are all excited to be one of the teams representing Florida in April,” Koller said. “We think we have as good of a chance as ever to do well at the national stage.”

The USTA ‘Tennis On Campus’ National Championship is the pinnacle of the nation-wide Tennis On Campus program. Hosted in partnership by the USTA, the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), World TeamTennis (WTT), and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), the annual national championship features 64 college and university co-ed teams competing for bragging rights and the illustrious title of National Champion.

The 2015 USTA Tennis On Campus National Championship will be held on April 9-11 at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.

About USTA Tennis On Campus
The USTA’s Tennis On Campus program is designed to provide college students with opportunities for team camaraderie, social networking, and rivaled competition through tennis without the rigors of a varsity program via college/university “club” tennis teams. Perfect for athletes who have chosen not to make the jump from high school to college varsity, Tennis On Campus offers co-ed team-based play (using the World TeamTennis scoring format), regional and national championship competition, and helps students maintain active and healthy lifestyles through their college years. Currently, the program is offered on over 500 college campuses.

The USTA Tennis on Campus team format features men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles, with a minimum of two men and two women per team. The format uses World TeamTennis (WTT) scoring, where the first up to five games wins the match, with a 12-point supertiebreak if the match is tied at four games all. Total cumulative games determine the overall winning team of each match. The WTT scoring format also features no-ad scoring, player substitutions, and player on-court coaching is allowed.

USTA ‘Tennis on Campus’ Florida Section
Year-end Championship Winners:

2015 — University of Florida -“A” d. UF-“B”
2014 — University of Florida d. University of South Florida
2013 — University of Florida d. University of Central Florida
2012 — University of Central Florida d. University of Florida
2011 — University of Florida d. University of Central Florida
2010 — University of Florida d. University of Central Florida
2009 — University of Florida d. University of Central Florida
2008 — University of Florida d. Daytona State College
2007 — University of Florida d. University of Central Florida
2006 — University of Central Florida d. University of Florida

For more information on the USTA Florida ‘Tennis on Campus’ series go to www.USTAFlorida.com/TennisOnCampus or contact USTA Florida ‘Tennis on Campus’ Coordinator Desirae McLaughlin at tennisoncampusflorida@gmail.com