Florida’s 4-0 sweep of the Seminoles automatically qualifies them for the Indoor National Championships in Madison, Wis.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – After a 4-0 sweep of in-state rival and No. 18 Florida State, Florida women’s tennis has qualified for the Indoor National Championships from Friday, Feb. 11-Monday, Feb. 14 in Madison, Wis.
Despite missing athletes and starting down a doubles point, Florida State immediately pushed the Gators at the one doubles slot as Petra Hule, who’s No. 22 in singles competition, and Lesedi Jacobs defeated the No. 24 doubles squad of Marlee Zein and Carly Briggs, 6-3.
Facing pressure to secure the doubles point, the freshman duo of Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee delivered, putting away a tightly-contested match with Kianah Motoson and Vic Allen, 7-5, giving UF a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Gators began with a 1-0 cushion in singles play, as the Seminoles were unable to fill the six singles spot. Zein, ranked No. 34 nationally in singles, put together a consistent match to down Allen: 6-3, 6-3 and push the Orange & Blue’s lead to 3-0.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s No. 87-ranked singles player, Emma Shelton, served as the clincher in Sunday’s match with Florida State, putting away Anna Arkadianou in straight sets: 6-3, 6-2 for the regional championship.
The Gators will now have the opportunity to compete with some of the nation’s top teams in February, as they will make their first appearance at the National Indoor Championships since the 2018 campaign.
First, however, Florida will matchup with a talented Old Dominion team on Thursday, Feb. 3, at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
SINGLES
Kessler vs. No. 22 Hule: 4-6, 6-3
Dudeney vs. Jacobs: 6-3, 4-1
No. 34 Zein def. Allen: 6-3, 6-3
No. 87 Shelton def. Arkadianou: 6-3, 6-2
Spee vs. Motosono: 5-7, 1-0
DOUBLES
Hule/Jacobs def. No. 24 Zein/Briggs: 6-3
No. 46 Dudeney/Spee def. Motosono/Allen: 7-5
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
On the performances over the weekend…
“Overall I thought we learned a lot about the team. We knew we had great talent, but we found out how hard working and tough we are mentally, which helps make us great competitors.”
On the freshmen performances…
“The freshmen were put on center stage to secure our doubles point today, and their victory really helped set the tone for how the day went. They have been wonderful this season and have shown they belong.”
On Marlee Zein’s bounce-back performance…
“Marlee probably didn’t feel great about yesterday, but had to refocus against Vic Allen who is very good for Florida State. Marlee was very sharp in her match, which is good because if you’re not or you drift for five minutes, it’s easy to lose the set. She and Emma [Shelton] both played their best tennis on the biggest stage and gave exceptional efforts.”
On the upcoming match with Old Dominion…
“Old Dominion is a top-15 team and has one of the best doubles teams in the country. But, this is Florida and you’re supposed to play everybody that’s good, so we will continue to get better each match and hopefully be playing our best tennis in May.”
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