Florida Women’s Tennis Travels To South Carolina

The Florida Gators women’s tennis team will travel to Columbia to clash with the South Carolina Gamecocks in an SEC matchup at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Searching for First Conference Win

Florida (3-3) is coming off a rough road loss to No. 5 Auburn (now No. 6) last Sunday. The Gators fell 5-2 to the Tigers (12-1) and failed to muster up any momentum in their first conference match of the spring. Despite Florida’s struggles, junior Rachel Gailis defeated Auburn’s No. 2 DJ Bennett in a three-set match on court one. This bodes well for the Gators, proving that Gailis has what it takes to top the greatest talents in the nation. This win will help the junior carry some confidence in her singles game and build anticipation for a deep run by Florida in conference play and this season’s NCAA tournament.

Statement SEC win 🗣️ #GoGators pic.twitter.com/VjqiYY4HZS

— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) February 24, 2025

South Carolina (5-4) also lost its first conference match of the season at No. 1 Georgia (now No. 2) last Sunday. The Gamecocks fell to the Bulldogs (8-1) by a score of 6-1, with senior Sarah Hamner winning their only point. Despite only scoring one point, Hamner’s win for South Carolina was a big one. It was none other than the No. 1 singles player, Dasha Vidmanova, whom Hamner defeated in an intense three-set comeback, proving that the No. 29 singles player is a force to be reckoned with.

ITA Rankings

Despite previously ranking No. 40, Florida has fallen out of the ITA rankings following its loss to Auburn last weekend. However, the duo of Gailis and senior Alicia Dudeney, who boast an 8-1 record together, represent the Gators as the No. 6 doubles pair in the nation.

South Carolina finds itself at No. 53 in the ITA rankings and houses ranked players in both doubles and singles play. Senior Olympe Lancelot and sophomore Kaitlyn Carnicella sit at No. 52 in the nation while the Gamecock’s pair of Carnicella-Hamner ranks No. 57 in doubles. Along with belonging to two ranked doubles pairs, Carnicella is ranked No. 68 in singles with a 12-7 record. Additonally, Hamner comes in at No. 29 with an impressive 12-6 singles record.

Staying on the Road

Following their bout with the Gamecocks, the Gators will travel to Georgia to face the No. 2 Bulldogs Sunday at 1 p.m.

South Carolina will also continue its conference play Sunday when it travels to Alabama to face No. 6 Auburn.