Florida fell on the road at Auburn Sunday afternoon, but had two statement wins on the singles side. UF now holds an even record at 3-3 heading into week two of SEC play.
AUBURN, Ala. – The Florida Gators fell 5-2 at No. 4 Auburn in their first test of SEC play. The Sunday afternoon matchup proved to be a challenge as UF faced four ranked singles players and two ranked doubles teams.
The Gators were faced with adversity from the start of doubles play as Auburn secured wins at both No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat defeated Rachel Gailis<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> and Talia Neilson-Gatenby<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/talia-neilson-gatenby/17074> 6-3, while Maria Garcia and Ava Esposito claimed a 6-2 victory over Noemie Oliveras and Nikola Daubnerova<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/nikola-daubnerova/16984>.
Alicia Dudeney<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980> and Bente Spee<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/bente-spee/16983> were left unfinished on court one when the Tigers took the overall doubles point. Dudeney and Spee trailed 4-5 against Auburn’s No. 20 DJ Bennett and Ava Hrastar.
In singles, Florida saw success at the top of the lineup. Rachel Gailis<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> took down No. 2 DJ Bennett, winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in a tightly contested match. Gailis showed her determination after Bennett bounced back in the second set, taking control of the third to clinch the win for the Gators. This marks Gailis’ first ranked win of the spring and largest ranked victory of her career.
Alicia Dudeney<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980> also claimed a victory for the Gators in a comeback performance against Ava Hrastar. After dropping the first set 4-6, Dudeney bounced back with a 6-4 win in the second and a 6-3 triumph in the third, securing another point for Florida and showing her grit as a senior.
However, the Gators struggled on the remaining courts out. On court three, Florida’s Neilson-Gatenby fell to No. 57 Angella Okutoyi, 6-4, 6-1.
On court four Florida’s Nikola Daubnerova<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/nikola-daubnerova/16984> fought back after losing the first set 6-1, pushing No. 17 Merna Refaat to a tiebreaker in the second, which Daubnerova won at 7-6. Refaat, however, prevailed in the third set 7-5, securing the match for Auburn.
Florida’s Bente Spee<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/bente-spee/16983> faced off against No. 116 Ava Esposito on court five. After dropping the first set 6-4, Spee came back strong to win 6-4 in the second. But Esposito fought off a tough challenge in the third set, clinching the victory with a 7-5 win.
Noemie Oliveras fell to Auburn’s Alice Battesti 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, as the freshman continued to battle but ultimately couldn’t seal the deal in the final two sets.
Despite the loss, Florida showed resilience throughout the match, with individual victories from Gailis and Dudeney, but ultimately came up short against a talented Auburn team. The Gators now look ahead to their next challenge, knowing there’s room for improvement as they continue their SEC slate on Friday at South Carolina.
FINAL RESULTS:
Final Singles Results:
1. Rachel Gailis<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> (UF) def. #2 DJ Bennett (AUB) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
2. Alicia Dudeney<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980> (UF) def. Ava Hrastar (AUB) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. #57 Angella Okutoyi (AUB) def. Talia NeilsonGatenby (UF) 6-4, 6-1
4. #17 Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Nikola Daubnerova<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/nikola-daubnerova/16984> (UF) 6-1, 6-7, 7-5
5. #116 Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Bente Spee<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/bente-spee/16983> (UF) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
6. Alice Battesti (AUB) def. Noemie Oliveras (UF) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 6, 2, 5, 4
Final Doubles Results:
1. Alicia Dudeney<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980>/Bente Spee<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/bente-spee/16983> (UF) vs. #20 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (AUB) 4-5, unfinished
2. #69 Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Rachel Gailis<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981>/Talia NeilsonGatenby (UF) 6-3
3. Ava Esposito/Maria Garcia (AUB) def. Noemie Oliveras/Nikola Daubnerova<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/nikola-daubnerova/16984> (UF) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2
TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: 3-3, (0-1 SEC)
Auburn: 12-1, (1-0 SEC)
GATOR BITES:
Head Coach Per Nilsson<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/coaches/per-nilsson/2018> on Florida’s first contest of SEC Play:
“I know the direction the Florida Gators are going in and we are going to continue to take it one day at a time. We have to focus on small improvements, and take it day by day to better ourselves and the program. We have a way to go, but we will use today’s match in our effort to improve for the future.”
Junior Rachel Gailis<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> on defeating the No. 2 player in the nation:
“It’s definitely a good feeling. This year with all the changes at Florida, plus some injuries, I haven’t been able to see where my level is at compared to the rest of college tennis. I’m glad to see it isn’t far off from where I ended last year.
Junior Rachel Gailis<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> on the Florida Gators and what today’s match shows for their future:
“As a team we’ve put in a lot of hard work with Per during the off season and I’m happy to see some short-term results come with that. However, we want to be at our best in May and this is only the start, but with today’s fight we’ve proven we can hang with the best.”
UP NEXT:
The Gators will continue SEC play at No. 49 South Carolina on Friday afternoon. The match is set to begin at 3 p.m. at Carolina Tennis Center in Columbia, S.C.
at South Carolina (5-4, 0-1 SEC)
* Date: Friday, Feb. 28
* Time: 3 p.m. ET
* Site: Carolina Tennis Center<https://gamecocksonline.com/facilities/carolina-tennis-center/>
* Watch<https://web.track.tennis/#/@49a627ea-a35f-4e5b-a5be-28f9f7c9f951/@49a627ea-a35f-4e5b-a5be-28f9f7c9f951/evt-dz1HZZr6kW4>
* Live stats: Statbroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=561072>
FLORIDA IN THE RANKS:
The Gators currently sit at No. 40 in the ITA rankings and was polled at No. 4 in the SEC preseason standings. UF is also represented in the doubles category with Alicia Dudeney<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980> and Rachel Gailis<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> sitting at No. 6.
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