After an early conclusion to the Gators’ 2023-24 post-season, Florida looks for a positive start to 2024-25 with six Gators included in the ITA’s preseason rankings.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released the 2024-25 preseason rankings, featuring six Gators. Florida had representation in all three preseason categories: singles, doubles, and newcomers.
Rachel Gailis<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16143> topped the rankings for the Gators at No. 7 in the singles category. The top 10 ranking comes after her successful 2023-24 campaign where she defeated seven nationally ranked opponents and held an overall record of 22-8. To close out her sophomore year, Gailis was honored as an ITA All-American, named to the All-SEC First Team, and recognized as the ITA Most Improved Player of the Year.
Florida’s Emily De Oliveira came in at No. 29 for the ITA’s preseason rankings. In the fall of her 2023-24 season, De Oliveira claimed the ITA Regional Championship title, went on a five-match win streak (Sept. 15 to Oct. 1), and reached a career-high singles ranking at No. 23 on Nov. 15. De Oliveira will now begin her senior year ranked in the nation’s top 30.
Qavia Lopez<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/qavia-lopez/16283> was featured in the preseason singles rankings at No. 61, and in the double’s rankings at No. 66. Lopez made a statement during the 2023-24 season as the first player in program history to earn the SEC Freshman of the Week award three times. Lopez was also selected to the SEC All-Freshman team after posting a 10-2 conference record and holding a five-match win streak. Lopez ended the 2023-24 season with a 23-11 overall record, tallying the most wins on the Gators roster, and putting her in a solid position to start her sophomore campaign.
Alicia Dudeney will look to make a strong return for the Gators after going undefeated in the third and sixth singles positions during Florida’s 2023-24 dual play. Dudeney ultimately closed out SEC action with an 8-3 singles record and posted her highest win of the season over No. 121 Catherine Aulia (Tennessee) on Mar. 10.
Freshman Talia Neilson-Gatenby rounded out the Gators’ preseason singles rankings at No. 122. However, she made the nation’s top 10 for newcomers at No. 8. Neilson-Gatenby hails from England and will be a huge asset for the Gators during the 2024-25 campaign. Neilson-Gatenby has held a career-best No. 541 world ranking in singles and a No. 896 in doubles. Due to her success on the world stage in both categories, Neilson-Gatenby was also featured in the ITA’s preseason doubles rankings at No. 66 alongside Qavia Lopez.
Preseason Singles Rankings:
No. 7 Rachel Gailis
No. 29 Emily De Oliveira
No. 61 Qavia Lopez
No. 103 Alicia Dudeney
No. 122 Talia Neilson-Gatenby
Preseason Doubles Rankings:
No. 66 Talia Neilson-Gatenby and Qavia Lopez
Preseason Newcomer Rankings:
No. 8 Talia Neilson-Gatenby
For more information on the ITA Preseason Rankings access the ITA homepage here<https://wearecollegetennis.com/2024/08/27/division-i-womens-ita-collegiate-tennis-national-preseason-rankings/>.
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