Florida Women’s Tennis’ Struggles Continue

Following two straight losses to conference opponents on the road, the Florida women’s tennis team headed to Kentucky looking to get back on track in SEC play.

The Wildcats (10-11, 4-9 SEC) entered Sunday’s match with a losing streak of their own, having lost four straight conference matches. With both teams starving for a win and poor weather rolling in, Kentucky and the Gators (8-11, 4-9) were caged in the Hilary J. Boone indoor facility with only four courts available. In the end, it was Kentucky that emerged victorious, 4-3, after more than five hours of play.

Doubles

Seniors Alicia Dudeney–Bente Spee wasted no time taking down senior Ellie Eades-fifth year Elizabeth Stevens on court one. The Gator pair jumped ahead 3-0 and never looked back en route to a 6-1 win that gave Florida an early advantage in doubles.

Junior Rachel Gailis-freshman Talia Neilson-Gatenby played well on court two to overcome junior Zoe Hammond-freshman Asuncion Jadue. Trailing 3-1, Gailis-Nielson-Gatenby took the match by storm to win five straight games to earn a 6-3 win and secure the doubles point for Florida.

Freshmen Noémie Oliveras– Reagan Parker went unfinished with junior Ellie Myers-sophomore Julia Zhu on court three, trailing 5-3 as UF grabbed the doubles point.

Singles

Spee kept Florida’s momentum rolling against Kentucky freshman Tess Bucher on court four, impressing with a 6-3, 6-2 victory to put Florida ahead 2-0.

Spee defeats Bucher 6-3, 6-2

UF l Kentucky #GoGators

— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) April 6, 2025

Neilson-Gatenby dominated Stevens in set one on court three 6-1, but the fifth-year player came storming back. Stevens won set two 6-3 and had all of the momentum as Neilson-Gatenby ran out of gas and fell 6-1 in the third set. The freshman’s loss earned Kentucky its first point of the match to cut Florida’s lead to 2-1.

No. 21 Gailis did her best to hold off No. 65 Hammond, but fell in three sets. Hammond dominated set one 6-2, but Gailis won the second set 7-5, refusing to go down quietly. However, the Wildcat regained control to win set three 6-2 and tie the match 2-2.

No. 75 Dudeney displayed tremendous poise in taking down No. 60 Zhu in three sets on court two. Dudeney won the first set 6-4, but lost set two 6-3. From there, Dudeney handed Zhu her second straight singles loss with a 6-3 win that earned UF a 3-2 edge.

Dudeney wins her match

UF l Kentucky #GoGators

— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) April 6, 2025

Kentucky’s Comeback

Parker’s struggles continued against Myers on court six, as the junior swept 6-0 in the first set. Parker never really had a chance, as Myers nearly swept her again, winning set two 6-1 and tie the overall match 3-3 with only one singles match left in play.

Oliveras played well against Jadue on court six, but came up with nothing to show for her efforts. The first set lasted 12 games, with the Gator losing 7-5. From there, Oliveras’ momentum waned and it was only a matter of time before Jadue won the match in straight sets. The Wildcat took the second set by storm, winning consecutive games and surging to a 6-3 victory to earn Kentucky a hard-fought 4-3 win.

Up Next

Florida heads back to Gainesville to close out its regular season against two tough SEC opponents. The Gators will host No. 10 LSU on Friday at 5 p.m. before Ole Miss comes to town Sunday at 1 p.m.