The No. 16 Gators will host North Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sixteenth-seeded Florida women’s tennis is set to open the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon when they welcome No. 75 North Florida to Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex for a 2 p.m. ET matchup.
No. 19 Georgia Tech and No. 37 UCF will open the Gainesville Regional at 11 a.m. ET in Linder Stadium. The winner of both matches will advance to the second round at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon. All matches will be streamed live on FloridaGators.com<https://floridagators.com/sports/2018/3/9/tennis-women-live-video-stats.aspx>.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets may be purchased in advance or on each day of the tournament. An all-session pass is $10 for adults and $6 for senior citizens, college students, and children under 12. Single day tickets for Friday and Saturday are $7 for adults and $4 for senior citizens, college students, and children under 12.
Spectators interested in purchasing advance all-session tickets may do so by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at 352-375-4683 or clicking here<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/NCAATENNISGAINESVILLE>.
Gates will open for fans one hour prior to the start of the first competition each day. Please note that seating is on a first come, first served basis and saving of seats is not permitted.
UAA Staff & UF Students get in free.
PARKING AND WEATHER REPORT
There will be no restrictions on parking around the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. Fans should be aware of UF’s Spring Commencements taking place during the weekend, potentially causing an increase in traffic flow and visitors on campus.
The weather calls for partly cloudy skies on both Friday and Saturday with temperatures in the mid-80s. In the event of rain or thunderstorms, matches may be moved indoors. If matches are moved indoors, attendance will be limited to first come, first served, beginning with player guest lists.
IN THE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS
Florida proves to be a difficult out in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament each year. In the first round, the Gators are a perfect 23-0 and an impressive 19-4 in the second round. Last season, UF defeated South Alabama, 4-0 in the first round of the tournament before downing in-state rival Florida State 4-1 in the second round. Including the 2023 season, the Gators have hosted the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament 22 times in program history.
NCAA FUN FACTS
– Of the 41 NCAA Tournaments that Florida has been eligible for, the Orange & Blue have made 40 appearances.
– The 2023 NCAA Tournament marks Florida’s 36th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
– The Gators have the second most team titles ever with seven, trailing only Stanford, while collecting three national championships in the last decade (2011, 2012, 2017).
– Head coach Roland Thornqvist is just one of two coaches to win multiple NCAA titles (3) and finish in the top-10 of the final ITA rankings at least eight times.
– In 1996, Florida became the only team in NCAA women’s tennis history to sweep the team, singles and doubles titles.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
North Florida
Record: 18-6
ITA Ranking: 75
Series History: 3-0
UF record in Gainesville: 2-0
Georgia Tech
Record: 15-9
ITA Ranking: 19
Series History: 3-1
UF record in Gainesville: 2-0
UCF
Record: 11-11
ITA Ranking: 37
Series History: 12-3
UF record in Gainesville: 12-1
NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS
Florida women’s tennis athletes Carly Briggs, Sara Dahlstrom, Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee have been selected to compete in the upcoming NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships. Briggs and Dahlstrom will compete in singles competition while Dudeney and Spee will pair up for doubles play.
The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 22-27 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida after the conclusion of the team championship, which runs from May 18-20. The University of Central Florida and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission will serve as host.
ITA RANKINGS
In the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings, the Gators came in at No. 16 in the country. Individually, three Gators find themselves ranked including:
Sara Dahlstrom – No. 17
Carly Briggs – No. 45
Alicia Dudeney – No. 99
On the doubles side, two doubles teams for Florida sit in the top-70 nationally:
Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee – No. 21
Carly Briggs/Rachel Gailis – No. 67
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