Gators Set for Ranked Road Matchups
Florida takes its five-match win streak to Knoxville, Athens this weekend.
Tennessee Stream<https://web.playsight.com/facility/uniersity-of-tennessee/home> | Georgia Stream<https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/17/sports-w-tennis-spec-rel-vid-stream-html> | Georgia Live Stats<https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/17/sports-w-tennis-spec-rel-vid-stream-html>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Riding a five-match win streak, the Florida women’s tennis team hits the road for two crucial ranked matchups at No. 15 Tennessee and No. 5 Georgia.
Friday’s match at Tennessee in Knoxville is slated to begin at 4 p.m. ET while Sunday’s match in Athens against Georgia has first serve set for 1 p.m. ET.
THE SERIES VS. TENNESSEE
Florida and Tennessee will be meeting for the 49th time in program history on Friday afternoon, with the Gators holding a resounding 47-1 mark against the Lady Vols. Last season, UF took down Tennessee 4-2 in Gainesville on March 13, 2022.
THE SERIES VS. GEORGIA
The Gators and Bulldogs will meet for the 69th time on Sunday, with Florida holding an impressive 49-19 record against Georgia. The Orange & Blue are 14-6 all-time in Athens, and won last year’s matchup 4-1 on April 22, 2022 at Linder Stadium.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Gators are undefeated in away matches so far this spring, going 5-0. Florida has downed South Florida, Baylor, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Ole Miss all away from the home courts.
COUNTING DOWN
Between singles and doubles play, Alicia Dudeney has collected 93 victories during her two seasons with the Gators. The countdown is on for the sophomore, as she’s just seven wins away from becoming the 54th member of the 100-win club in Florida women’s tennis history.
ITA RANKINGS
In the latest ITA Rankings, the Gators find themselves ranked No. 17 as a team. Individually, Sara Dahlstrom climbed to No. 37, while Carly Briggs remained at No. 45. Dudeney returned to the singles rankings, slotting in at No. 86, her highest so far this season. The doubles tandem of Dudeney and Bente Spee entered the rankings for the first time, coming in at No. 53. Briggs and Rachel Gailis also appear in this week’s rankings, ranking at No. 79.
SEC STRONG
The SEC is one of the top conferences in collegiate tennis, with 12 teams finding themselves in the latest top-75 rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and nine in the top-50. Among the Power Five conferences, the SEC’s 12 ranked-teams are tied for the most with the ACC. The Pac 12 has nine teams ranked, while the Big Ten finds eight teams ranked. The Big 12 has seven teams ranked, respectively.
FIVE IN A ROW
Florida has posted five straight wins, and are winners of eight of their last nine. The Gators have knocked off four ranked opponents during that span, including No. 3 Michigan and No. 23 Vanderbilt.
HOME COOKING
The Gators are coming-off of back-to-back home victories over Missouri and Arkansas last weekend. Florida posted its second 7-0 sweep of the season against Missouri, while finishing the home slate with a 5-2 win over Arkansas on Senior Day.
TOP-THREE TRIUMPH
Florida earned their biggest win since the 2017 season on Wednesday afternoon, taking down No. 3 Michigan inside Linder Stadium, 4-1. After claiming the doubles point, Sara Dahlstrom (one singles), Alicia Dudeney (three singles) and Emily De Oliveira (five singles) were dominant in singles to secure the 4-1 victory, with each taking down a nationally-ranked opponent. The win is the Gators first over a top-five opponent since April 7, 2018 when they took down No. 5 South Carolina, 4-2, in Columbia. Additionally, it’s their first over a top-three opponent since March 14, 2017, when they defeated No. 2 Ohio State, 4-1.
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