University of Florida junior Stephane Piro (Marseille, France) dropped his first round match in the NCAA Singles Championships on Wednesday at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at the Atkins Tennis Center.
Piro, who was in his first semester wearing the Orange and Blue, fell to Washington’s No. 17 Kyle McMorrow, 6-0, 6-0, to cap his debut collegiate singles slate with a 15-9 overall record. McMorrow, a 6-3 senior, used his powerful serve throughout the match and allowed few break points.
Piro, however, isn’t finished at the NCAA Individual Championships. He teams with senior Bob van Overbeek (Boca Raton, Fla.) in the 32-team doubles event that gets underway on Thursday afternoon. The No. 20-ranked Gator pair, which enters the event with a 13-9 record, meets Pepperdine’s Francis Alcantara and Finn Tearney in a start time to be determined late Wednesday evening. Pepperdine beat Florida in dual match play, 4-1, in February at the ITA National Indoors, but Piro and van Overbeek did not face the Waves’ No. 43-ranked duo of Alcantara and Tearney.
Joining Piro and van Overbeek in the NCAA Doubles Championships is the No. 31-ranked Gator tandem of senior Billy Federhofer (North Miami, Fla.) and redshirt freshman Gordon Watson (Naples, Fla.)
“It’s a great experience to be playing with Bill in the NCAAs, especially my freshman year,” Watson shared.
“It’s been awesome playing with [Bill], he’s fun to play with and fun-loving on and off the court and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
“I have a unique game and hopefully I can confuse a few people here and hopefully we can do well,” Federhofer said. “We’re going to give our best. It’s great playing with Gordon. He’s a really good doubles player, he’s all over the court.”
Federhofer and Watson have compiled a 17-9 record this year will play Texas’ duo of Chris Camillone and David Holiner, ranked No. 41, in the first round.
First Round (Round of 64) - Gators Only
#17 Kyle McMorrow [9-16] (WASH) d. #52 Stephane Piro (FLA), 6-0, 6-0
For all of the latest information on Florida women’s tennis:
Official Website: http://www.gatorzone.com/tennis/women/
Twitter: @GatorZoneTennis and @GatorZoneNews
