UF WTN: Florida to Host NCAA First and Second Rounds

The No. 16 Gators will host the first and second rounds for the 22nd time in program history.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For the 40th time in Florida history, the Florida women’s tennis team has been selected to compete in the NCAA Tennis Championships, as the 64-team bracket was revealed Monday evening.

The 16th-seeded Gators’ selection to host the first and second round for the third-consecutive season, marking the 22nd time that UF will serve as a host site since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1999.

Florida (16-7, 9-4 SEC) will clash against North Florida (18-6, 7-1 ASUN) inside Linder Stadium at the Allred A. Ring Tennis Complex on Friday, May 5.

The winner of Florida-North Florida will meet the victor of Friday’s other matchup between Georgia Tech and UCF. Second round competition will take place on Saturday, March 6.

Florida has posted a 16-7 record overall this season, winning 11 of their last 15 to close the season. The Gators finished fourth in the SEC with a 9-4 conference record, while earning seven wins over opponents ranked in the ITA rankings.

The Gators had four tabbed to All-SEC Teams last week. Sara Dahlstrom was named to the First Team All-SEC, while Carly Briggs and Alicia Dudeney were both named to the Second Team All-SEC. Rachel Gailis became the 15th Gator to be named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Florida at the NCAA Championships

* With today’s announcement, the Gators have earned a spot in 40 of the 41 NCAA Championships, missing only the 1986 event.
* The Gators have won seven NCAA team titles: 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2011, 2012 and 2017. This is the second most in NCAA history, trailing just Stanford.
* UF has advanced to at least the NCAA semifinals 24 times in the last 33 years.
* Head Coach Roland Thornqvist has guided the Gators to the NCAA Championships in 21 seasons. *2020 the NCAA Championships were not held due to COVID-19.
* The Gators have qualified for 35-straight NCAA Championships.
* Florida won three National Championships last decade (2011, 2012 and 2017)

Florida’s Record at the NCAA Championships

* All-time record: 118-32
* Round of 64: 23-0
* Round of 32: 19-4
* Round of 16: 30-5
* Quarterfinals: 25-5
* Semifinals: 14-11
* Final: 7-7
* Home: 55-7
* Away: 4-4
* Neutral: 59-21
* As No. 1: 46-11 (3 titles, 5 runner-ups)
* As No. 2: 31-3 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
* As No. 3: 5-1 (1 runner-up)
* As No. 4: 15-4 (3 semifinal appearances)
* As No. 5: 5-3 (3 quarterfinal appearances)
* As No. 6: 4-1 (1 semifinal appearance)
* As No. 8: 4-1 (1 semifinal appearance)
* As No. 9: 1-1 (round of 32)
* As No. 11: 1-1 (round of 32)
* As No. 15: 2-1 (round of 16)
* As No. 16: 2-1 (round of 16)