The University of Florida’s Marrit Boonstra (The Netherlands) advanced to the third round of the NCAA Singles Championships on Thursday at the Mitchell Tennis Center on the campus of Texas A&M University.

The Gator junior defeated Georgia Tech’s Christy Striplin, 6-1, 6-4, in her second-round contest, and will play Stanford’s Hilary Barte, the No. 7 seed, on Friday afternoon in the round of 16.

For Boonstra, the tournament’s No. 8 seed, Thursday’s win was the 50^th of her two-year collegiate career, as she improved to 50-12 in singles action, including a 35-9 record this season.

Boonstra won the opening set against Striplin in convincing fashion and jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second. Striplin broke right back and held to get the set on-serve, where it remained until Boonstra was able to capitalize on her first match-point, which came on Striplin’s serve in the 10^th game, and secure the victory.

Boonstra’s success continued on the doubles court, where she teamed with freshman Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) and earned a 6-2, 6-2 win against North Carolina’s fourth-seeded Sophie Grabinsky and Sanaz Marand. Boonstra and Mather resume action in the round of 16 late Friday afternoon.

Also in action was the Gator doubles team of Jessica Alexander (Dallas, Texas) and Anastasia Revzina (Moscow, Russia) lost a tough 7-5, 7-6 decision to TCU’s Macall Harkins and Anna Sydorska.

NCAA Division I Tennis Women’s Singles Championships

George P. Mitchell Tennis Center

College Station, Texas

May 21, 2009

Complete Agate

Singles Round of 32 Results

(1) Maria Mosolova (Northwestern) def. Noemi Scharle (Florida State), 3-6, 6-4, 7-5

(2) Julia Cohen (Miami) def. Kristi Boxx (Mississippi), 6-2, 6-3

(3) Aurelija Miseviciute (Arkansas) def. Marina Cossou (California), 7-5, 7-5

Laura Vallverdu (Miami) def. (4) Ani Mijacika (Clemson), 7-6 (0), 7-6 (3)

(5) Mallory Cecil (Duke) def. Amanda McDowell (Georgia Tech), 6-4, 6-4

(7) Hilary Barte (Stanford) def. Alex Haney (Auburn), 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

(8) Chelsey Gullickson (Georgia) def. Nadia Abdala (Arizona State), 6-3, 6-1

(9-16) Josipa Bek (Clemson) def. Kristy Frilling (Notre Dame), 6-3, 6-4

(9-16) Jana Juricova (California) def. Mallory Voelker (Denver), 6-3, 6-1

(9-16) Marrit Boonstra (Florida) def. Christy Striplin (Georgia Tech), 6-1, 6-4

(9-16) Megan Falcon (LSU) def. Gira Schofield (South Carolina), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2

Bianca Eichkorn (Miami) def. (9-16) Yasmin Schnack (UCLA), 6-1, 6-3

Sanaz Marand (North Carolina) def. Natasha Marks (Arizona), 6-3, 7-5

Laura Gioia (Furman) def. Mari Andersson (California), 6-4, 6-1

Reka Zsilinszka (Duke) def. Melanie Gloria (Fresno State), 6-3, 6-1

Ellah Nze (Duke) def. Amanda Fink (USC), 6-2, 6-3

-UF-