Florida had back-to-back wins this weekend defeating FIU and San Diego to set their record at 3-0. With the Gators success this weekend they have officially claimed their spot in Seattle as they compete in the ITA National Indoor Championship February 9-12.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators defeated San Diego 4-3 in a tight battle at the Alfred A. Ring Complex Sunday evening. The win over the Torero’s marks Florida’s third straight victory and secures the team’s spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship hosted by the University of Washington.
On the Doubles side, Qavia Lopez and Malwina Rowinska got the first win for the Gators, defeating Claudia De Las Heras and Jordyn McBride from San Diego 6-3. Rachel Gailis and Sara Dahlstrom faced Kailey Evans and Kristina Nordikyan but were edged 6-1 by the talented duo. With a doubles win from both sides, the final decision was in the hands of Bente Spee and Alicia Dudeney as they took on Elizabeth Goldsmith and Mia Mack. Dudeney and Spee were challenged as they entered a tiebreaker at six games apiece, but it was the Gators who pulled ahead to take a 7-4 victory and claim the doubles point.
The Gators saw another difficult start to singles play and were edged on three courts to give San Diego the lead at 3-1. Freshman Malwina Rowinska was edged by Kailey Evans 7-5, 6-2, and Qavia Lopez fell 7-6, 6-1 to Jordyn McBride. Sarah Dahlstrom medically retired from her match, giving San Diego their third singles point by default. With Florida now down 3-1, they turned to Rachel Gailis, Alicia Dudeney, and Carly Briggs.
The first singles win for the Gators came from Alicia Dudeney, defeating Abigail Desiatnikov 6-3, 6-4. Dudeney kept a steady lead for the majority of her match and came up big to tally a point for Florida to put the overall score at 3-2. Not far behind was sophomore Rachel Gailis with a second set tiebreaker for the win. Gailis played Mia Mack and defeated her 6-3 in the first set before Mack put up a fight at six games all in the second. The second set tiebreaker went in favor of Gailis to give her the 6-3, 7-6 victory and put the Gators even with San Diego at 3-3.
The determining match for Florida was Carly Briggs versus Claudia De Las Heras. Briggs fell in the first set 7-6 and fought through a 5-3 deficit in the second. It was a tall task for Briggs to initiate a comeback, but she did just that to take the second set 7-6. Continuing the momentum into the third set, Briggs found even more of a rhythm taking the final set 6-1 to make a loud statement on court one.
Singles: (Order of Finish: 3, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1)
1. Carly Briggs (UF) def. Claudia De Las Heras (USD-W) 6-7, 7-6, 6-0
2. Rachel Gailis (UF) def. Mia Mack (USD-W) 6-3, 7-6
3. Elizabeth Goldsmith (USD-W) def. Sara Dahlstrom (UF) 5-2, retired
4. Alicia Dudeney (UF) def. Abigail Desiatnikov (USD-W) 6-3, 6-4
5. Jordyn McBride (USD-W) def. Qavia Lopez (UF) 7-6, 6-1
6. Kailey Evans (USD-W) def. Malwina Rowinska (UF) 7-5, 6-2
Doubles: (Order of Finish: 3,2,1)
1. Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee (UF) def. Elizabeth Goldsmith/Mia Mack (USD-W) 7-6
2. Qavia Lopez/Malwina Rowinska (UF) def. Claudia De Las Heras/Jordyn McBride (USD-W) 6-3
3. Kailey Evans/Kristina Nordikyan (USD-W) def. Sara Dahlstrom/Rachel Gailis (UF) 6-1
NEXT UP:
The Gators will be back in action Saturday, Feb. 3 against Florida State in Lake Nona, FL. The match is set for 5 p.m. EST.
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