Florida Women’s Tennis To End Regular Season At Home

The Florida women’s tennis team will host Louisiana State University and Ole Miss in its final regular-season matches of the spring. The Gators (8-11, 4-9 SEC) will take on No. 11 LSU (19-5, 9-4) on Friday at 5 p.m. before hosting Ole Miss (13-10, 5-8) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.

Recap

Florida returns home battered and bruised from a rough roadtrip in which the Gators produced a three-match losing streak. After falling to Oklahoma 4-0, Tennessee 5-2 and Kentucky 4-3, the Gators need a standout performance this weekend to get back on track before the SEC tournament which is just a week away. Florida is ready to do whatever it takes to improve its standing and will be searching for huge wins against two SEC juggernauts.

Despite sweeping both Missouri and Arkansas back-to-back, LSU couldn’t win a third straight SEC bout at home, falling to No. 8 Oklahoma, 4-1, on Sunday. The Tigers have been a dominant force in the SEC this semester and will be hungry for a win as they head to Florida and Auburn for their final two matches Friday and Sunday.

Ole Miss has been hit-or-miss against SEC opponents with a 5-6 conference record. However, the Rebels will head to Gainesville on Sunday having a sweep of Arkansas under their belt after defeating the Razorbacks 4-0 last Sunday. Ole Miss will also head to Auburn to pay the No. 8 Tigers a visit on Friday before turning toward Gainesville on Sunday.

Rankings

Florida has two nationally ranked players in singles. Junior Rachel Gailis and senior Alicia Dudeney rank No. 27 and No. 57, respectively. In doubles, Gailis-Dudeney are the No. 11 pairing in the nation, with Dudeney also ranking No. 32 when paired with fellow senior Bente Spee.

No. 11 LSU has two nationally ranked singles players. Freshman Cadence Brace ranks No. 21 in the nation, while freshman Kayla Cross ranks No. 52. Brace and Cross also rank No. 4 in the nation as a doubles pair, boasting an impressive 10-1 record together. Additionally, freshman Tilwith Di Girolami-senior Anita Sahdiieva rank No. 35, with Sahdiieva also ranking No. 71 when paired with sophomore Kenna Erickson.

The Rebels don’t have any players ranked in singles. However, seniors Ludmila Kareisová–Anaëlle Leclercq-Ficher rank No. 31 in the nation as an Ole Miss doubles pairing.

Up Next

Following Florida’s two matches this weekend to close out conference play, the Gators will participate in the SEC tournament starting April 16 in Auburn, Ala.