Florida Duo Alicia Dudeney & Rachel Gailis Earn Regional Championship Title
Alicia Dudeney<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980> and Rachel Gailis<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> defeated Georgia in the ITA Southeast Regional Finals to secure a spot in the 2024 NCAA Doubles tournament.
Atlanta, Ga. – Powerhouse Florida pairing, Rachel Gailis<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> and Alicia Dudeney<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980> claimed the Regional title Tuesday morning with a 7-5, 2-6, 10-6 victory over Georgia’s Guillermina Grant and Aysegul Mert. The Regional Championship win automatically grants Dudeney and Gailis a bid into the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
How it Happened:
Georgia came out strong in the Championship match taking an immediate 2-0 lead over the Gators. Gailis and Dudeney found their rhythm in game three, winning it 40-0 before breaking Georgia’s serve to tie it up at 2-2.
The Bulldogs pulled ahead winning the next two games to take a 4-2 lead over Florida but Dudeney and Gailis dug deep claiming back-to-back games to tie it at 4-4. The SEC teams were tied up again at 5-5 before the Gators pulled ahead to take the first set 7-5.
After dropping the first set, Georgia took their largest lead of the match at 4-1 in the second. Florida attempted to close in on Grant and Mert’s lead but the Georgia duo continued to pull ahead before closing out 6-2.
With one set apiece in the Regional Finals, the title would be determined by a 10-point tiebreaker. Gailis and Dudeney knew what was on the line and immediately took off, garnering as high as a seven-point lead over the Bulldogs. At 9-2, Florida had seven match points but Georgia kept the pressure and won four points in a row to close the gap. Dudeney and Gailis maintained their composure and ultimately claimed the tiebreaker 10-6 to defeat Georgia 7-5, 2-6, 10-6 for the Regional Championship title.
Final Championship Results:
Doubles:
Rachel Gailis<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981>/Alicia Dudeney<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980> (Florida) def. Guillermina Grant/Aysegul Mert (UGA) 7-5, 2-6, 10-6
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