UF WTN: Gailis and Dudeney Advance to NCAA Doubles Sweet 16

Florida duo Rachel Gailis and Alicia Dudeney cruise past Michigan 6-1, 6-3 in NCAA’s round of 32.
WACO, Texas- Florida’s 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> punched their ticket to the NCAA Sweet 16 Wednesday evening in Waco. The Gators defeated Michigan’s Lily Jones and Jessica Bernales 6-1, 6-3.

Dudeney and Gailis opened up play claiming the first five games of the match at 5-0. Michigan took game six to put the score at 5-1 before the Gators broke Michigan’s serve to take the first set 6-1.

Florida’s momentum carried over as they secured the initial three games of set two. Now holding a one set, 3-0 advantage, Florida continued to apply pressure on the Wolverines. However, Jones and Bernales weren’t ready to back down quite yet, claiming a service game at 3-1, and then continuing to battle at 4-2, 5-2, and 5-3.

Florida ultimately remained consistent in the final set defeating Michigan 6-3. Overall, Florida held Jones and Bernales to only four games in the round of 32, solidifying a spot in the Sweet 16.

Since being paired together in the fall of 2024, Gailis and Dudeney have gone undefeated and boast a 6-0 record. One of the most competitive matches yet for the Gators will come on Thursday as they face the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Elise Wagle and Kimmi Hance (UCLA).

About the Opponents:
UCLA’s Wagle and Hance were awarded the No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament after they defeated six nationally ranked doubles pairs at ITA All-Americans. The duo most recently took down Cal’s Mao Mushika and Jessica Alsola 6-3, 6-3 in the NCAA round of 32.

Thursday’s meeting will mark the first face-off between the UCLA and Florida pairings.

NEXT UP:

* Rachel Gailis<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16981> / Alicia Dudeney<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16980> vs. Elise Wagle / Kimmi Hance (UCLA)
* NCAA Doubles Sweet 16
* Date: Thurs., Nov. 21
* Match Time: TBA
* Site: Baylor University’s Hurd Tennis Center
* Watch: ESPN+<https://www.espn.com/espnplus/collections/cf992aa3-b869-4996-a55a-a59c769bfc07/tennis-live-upcoming>
* Doubles Draw<https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/images/2024/11/16/24-25%20W%20Doubles.pdf>
* Live Stats<https://ioncourt.com/tournaments/6739fbf93c78a1ac37fbea2b/live-score>
* Baylor’s NCAA Championship Site<https://baylorbears.com/feature/NCAATennis2425>