NCAA TENNIS : Florida Defeats Texas, 5-3, to Win First Women’s Title

Florida won its first NCAA women’s tennis title Sunday by defeating Texas, 5-3, at Stanford.

Kristin Osmond led top-seeded Florida (30-0). She saved two match points in her three-hour, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) victory over Carla Cossa at No. 5 singles, then teamed with Erika Kuttler for the clinching point at No. 3 doubles, a 6-1, 6-3 win over Ashley Johnson and Jackie Moe.

This was Florida’s third trip to the final. The Gators lost to Stanford in 1988 and ’90.

The Gators were also seeded No. 1 in last year’s tournament, but were upset by UCLA in the semifinals.

The individual tournament begins today.

USC defeated Kentucky, 5-3, in a quarterfinal match of the NCAA men’s tennis tournament at Athens, Ga.

Freshman Wayne Black and senior Kent Seton, usually the Trojans’ No. 5 and No. 6 singles players, each moved up a spot when Andras Lanyi pulled a muscle in his back during warm-ups. Black and Seton both won their singles matches and teamed for a 6-2, 7-5 upset at No. 3 doubles over David Culley and Jason Yeager, ranked 17th on the Volvo Tennis/Collegiate Rankings.

Brian MacPhie also got two victories for the Trojans (21-2), defeating John Yancey at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-3, and teaming with Jon Leach for a 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 victory over Yancey and Mike Hopkinson at No. 1 doubles.

Lanyi, a junior from Hungary, is questionable for today’s semifinal match against Notre Dame, which upset No. 4 Georgia, 5-4.

In other quarterfinal matches, No. 3 UCLA (21-4) beat North Carolina, 5-2, and will face No. 2 Stanford, a 5-2 winner over LSU, in today’s semifinal.