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The Florida women’s tennis team kicked off the 2023 Southeastern Conference Tournament Friday morning, defeating Ole Miss 4-0. The team will play the winner of the Texas A&M and Vanderbilt match on Saturday in the semifinals at noon. The Gators are the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
On to the next one! 🐊🎾#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/Iv5lNc30Au
— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) April 21, 2023
Carly Briggs/Rachel Galis and Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee secured wins in doubles, while the Gators swept the Rebels in the singles matches. Sara Dahlstrom, Emily De Oliveira and Dudeney won in straight sets in their singles matches.
In the regular season, the Gators dominated Vanderbilt, defeating the Commodores 6-1 on March 17. Out of the six singles matches the Commodores and Gators matched up in, Florida won five out of the six matches. Carly Briggs, Dudeney and Emma Shelton dominated on the court, sweeping their matches.
However, the team suffered a loss to Texas A&M 5-2 back on March 3 and will look for revenge if they match up with the Aggies in the semifinals.
https://twitter.com/SECWTennis/status/1649444864738701313?s=20
Who to Watch
Dahlstrom, Briggs and Dudeney have earned singles rankings in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings. Dahlstrom sits at No. 25, Briggs sits at No. 45 and Dudeney is No. 100. In doubles, Dudeney and Spee are No. 21 while Briggs and Gailis are No. 74. As a team, the Gators have found themselves sitting at No. 17 in the country, according to ITA Rankings.
In the Tournament
Historically, the Gators have been a consistent threat at the SEC tournament. Florida has a 79-14 record at the tournament and a 32-2 record in the quarterfinal round. The team has advanced to the semifinals 32 different times and boast a 27-5 record in that category. The Orange and Blue have had 27 tournament championship showings and have won 20 of those games.
The semifinal round is set for Saturday at noon in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Singles update:
Sara clinches on court one!
✅#25 Dahlstrom, 6-4, 6-2
2️⃣#45 Briggs ⬆ 6-2, 2-6, 2-1
✅ #100 Dudeney, 6-3, 6-1
4️⃣Gailis ↔ 4-6, 6-3
✅De Oliveira, 6-2, 6-2
6️⃣Spee ⬆ 7-6, 2-0UF 4, MISS 0#GoGators pic.twitter.com/MCpslu7POz
— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) April 21, 2023
