Saturday, April 7
Columbia, SC
8 AM
Florida Gators
4
at
2
South Carolina
Josie Kuhlman provided the clinching victory for the fourth time this season.
Gators Upset No. 5 South Carolina, 4-2
Saturday, April 7, 2018 | Women's Tennis
Florida pulled even with the Gamecocks and Vandy atop the SEC standings.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Florida upset No. 5 South Carolina in a thrilling 4-2 decision at the Carolina Tennis Center on a rain-plagued Saturday afternoon, when the Gators moved into a tie with the Gamecocks and Vanderbilt atop the Southeastern Conference standings with two matches remaining.
The start time of the match moved from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. with the hopes of finishing the match before the forecasted rain hit the Columbia area. The head coaches from both teams even agreed to start action with singles play instead of doubles to facilitate that effort.
Mother Nature, however, won that battle and with the team score knotted at 2-all, the sky unloaded and forced a four-hour delay.
After the lengthy rain delay, Josie Kuhlman and McCartney Kessler returned to their respective courts with both midway through the third set.
The unranked Kessler was even with 31st-ranked Hadley Berg on court three – 5-7, 7-6 (2), 3-3 and the game score at 15-15.
Kuhlman was at 7-5, 5-7, 2-1, down 30-15 to Mia Horvit.
The freshman Kessler was the first off the court, winning the final three games and prevailed, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, to give the Gators a 3-2 lead. For Kessler, the win was her team-leading 14th in dual match play, as she improved to 9-1 in SEC action.
All eyes then turned to Kuhlman, who had not been able to record a decision in Florida's last six matches since play was abandoned after the dual matches had been clinched.
The Gator senior rose to the challenge and with the pressure and all attention on her, Kuhlman netted a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 victory to secure the important win for Florida and hand the Gamecocks their first SEC loss of the season. It was the fourth time this year Kuhlman provided the clinching dual match victory.
Before the Rain
Quotes from the Court – UF Coach Roland Thornqvist
"This team is unbelievable! They just will not go away. This South Carolina team has incredible ball tolerance and that's something we talked about going into the match. We just had to be resilient and handle some swings.
"I really liked how measured we were on offense and didn't try to over hit when the opportunity presented itself. That was true on many courts. At the same time, we were willing to take the opportunity to be offensive, rather than fall in that hesitant trap that sometimes can happen when you get that same high over and over.
"For a young team, I thought our young freshmen did really well. Obviously, Josie (Kuhlman) with another clincher. She's had a bunch of those this year – especially in the last month and a half.
"I'm just so proud of this team.
"McCartney Kessler is a baller! She's going to be a star."
During the rain delay:
"We were able to check back into the hotel rooms and that really helped us because we were able to eat properly, shower and nap. We were really relaxed coming back out. We prepared the team for the doubles point to be the decider and that took a lot of pressure off McCartney and Josie, who were just absolutely clinical at the end. We lost just one game after the rain delay.
"Traditionally, this team has done really well in handling itself in these situations. Once again, our seniors showed or freshmen how to handle it - to roll with it and not worry about it. Our freshmen saw the playbook on how to handle these big SEC matches.
"Josie had to clinch the match with everyone watching her and once again, showed her class and sportsmanship."
Of Note
Florida vs. South Carolina: The UPDATED Series
Saturday's Competitors in the Individual ORACLE/ITA National Rankings
Road-Sweet-Road
What's Next for the Gators
Match 21
#12 Florida at #5 South Carolina
Carolina Tennis Center * Columbia, S.C.
Saturday, April 07, 2018
Final: Florida def. South Carolina, 4-2
Singles (order of finish: 5, 6, 1, 4, 3, 2)
1. #18 Anna Danilina (UF) def. #60 Ingrid Gamarra Martins (SC) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
2. #48 Josie Kuhlman (UF) def. Mia Horvit (SC) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2*
3. McCartney Kessler (UF) def. #31 Hadley Berg (SC) 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
4. Paige Cline (SC) def. Victoria Emma (UF) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
5. #120 Megan Davies (SC) def. Peggy Porter (UF) 6-3, 6-2?
6. Katie Kubicz (UF) def. Rachel Rohrabacher (SC) 6-3, 2-6, 6-0
Notes: Florida 15-6, 10-1 SEC, Ranked #12 … South Carolina 18-4, 10-1 SEC, Ranked #5
Gator Pronunciations for this release
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The start time of the match moved from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. with the hopes of finishing the match before the forecasted rain hit the Columbia area. The head coaches from both teams even agreed to start action with singles play instead of doubles to facilitate that effort.
Mother Nature, however, won that battle and with the team score knotted at 2-all, the sky unloaded and forced a four-hour delay.
After the lengthy rain delay, Josie Kuhlman and McCartney Kessler returned to their respective courts with both midway through the third set.
The unranked Kessler was even with 31st-ranked Hadley Berg on court three – 5-7, 7-6 (2), 3-3 and the game score at 15-15.
Kuhlman was at 7-5, 5-7, 2-1, down 30-15 to Mia Horvit.
The freshman Kessler was the first off the court, winning the final three games and prevailed, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, to give the Gators a 3-2 lead. For Kessler, the win was her team-leading 14th in dual match play, as she improved to 9-1 in SEC action.
All eyes then turned to Kuhlman, who had not been able to record a decision in Florida's last six matches since play was abandoned after the dual matches had been clinched.
The Gator senior rose to the challenge and with the pressure and all attention on her, Kuhlman netted a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 victory to secure the important win for Florida and hand the Gamecocks their first SEC loss of the season. It was the fourth time this year Kuhlman provided the clinching dual match victory.
Before the Rain
- The lead swung back and forth, with South Carolina getting on the board first with a straight-set win on court five.
- Freshman Katie Kubicz was next off with a three-set victory, closing it out 6-0 in the third, as she won for the fourth time in her last five matches.
- Senior Anna Danilina the won the battle on the showcase court, rallying to win the last two sets 6-1 and gave Florida a 2-1 lead, as she won for the eighth time in her last nine outings.
- The Gamecocks then evened the score again at 2-all with a hard-fought win on court four.
Quotes from the Court – UF Coach Roland Thornqvist
"This team is unbelievable! They just will not go away. This South Carolina team has incredible ball tolerance and that's something we talked about going into the match. We just had to be resilient and handle some swings.
"I really liked how measured we were on offense and didn't try to over hit when the opportunity presented itself. That was true on many courts. At the same time, we were willing to take the opportunity to be offensive, rather than fall in that hesitant trap that sometimes can happen when you get that same high over and over.
"For a young team, I thought our young freshmen did really well. Obviously, Josie (Kuhlman) with another clincher. She's had a bunch of those this year – especially in the last month and a half.
"I'm just so proud of this team.
"McCartney Kessler is a baller! She's going to be a star."
During the rain delay:
"We were able to check back into the hotel rooms and that really helped us because we were able to eat properly, shower and nap. We were really relaxed coming back out. We prepared the team for the doubles point to be the decider and that took a lot of pressure off McCartney and Josie, who were just absolutely clinical at the end. We lost just one game after the rain delay.
"Traditionally, this team has done really well in handling itself in these situations. Once again, our seniors showed or freshmen how to handle it - to roll with it and not worry about it. Our freshmen saw the playbook on how to handle these big SEC matches.
"Josie had to clinch the match with everyone watching her and once again, showed her class and sportsmanship."
Of Note
- Florida's win halted South Carolina 13-match win streak, which was the second-longest run in program history.
- South Carolina lost at home for the first time in 11 matches, while dropping a match for the first time since Feb. 11 against UCLA.
- South Carolina is ranked a program-high No. 5 in this week's Oracle/ITA National Rankings
- Vanderbilt defeated LSU on Saturday and improved to 10-1 in the SEC to join Florida and South Carolina at the top of the league standings.
Florida vs. South Carolina: The UPDATED Series
- All-Time: UF leads the all-time series against South Carolina 44-2 (UF at home: 19-0; Away: 18-1; Neutral: 7-1).
- Streak: The 47-match series started in 1979. The Gators have won the last 44 meetings.
- Of Note: The last South Carolina win was on May 16, 1982 when the Gamecocks defeated the Gator, 5-4, in the NCAA Round of 16 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Saturday's Competitors in the Individual ORACLE/ITA National Rankings
- Florida: SINGLES - #18 Anna Danilina, #48 Josie Kuhlman; DOUBLES - #13 Anna Danilina & Victoria Emma
- South Carolina: SINGLES - #31 Hadley Berg, #60 Ingrid Gamarra Martins #120 Megan Davies; DOUBLES - #65 Silvia Chinellato & Megan Davies; #76 Paige Cline & Ingrid Gamarra Martins; #79 Hadley Berg & Paige Cline
Road-Sweet-Road
- Saturday's match at South Carolina was Florida's 15th away from Gainesville this season.
- The Gators sport a 9-6 record in those matches.
- The Gators have played 11 matches on true away courts (9-2) and four at neutral sites (0-4).
What's Next for the Gators
- Florida has just two regular-season matches remaining and plays both next week at home.
- The Gators host Kentucky on Thursday at 5 p.m. and No. 2 Vanderbilt on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Match 21
#12 Florida at #5 South Carolina
Carolina Tennis Center * Columbia, S.C.
Saturday, April 07, 2018
Final: Florida def. South Carolina, 4-2
Singles (order of finish: 5, 6, 1, 4, 3, 2)
1. #18 Anna Danilina (UF) def. #60 Ingrid Gamarra Martins (SC) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
2. #48 Josie Kuhlman (UF) def. Mia Horvit (SC) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2*
3. McCartney Kessler (UF) def. #31 Hadley Berg (SC) 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
4. Paige Cline (SC) def. Victoria Emma (UF) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
5. #120 Megan Davies (SC) def. Peggy Porter (UF) 6-3, 6-2?
6. Katie Kubicz (UF) def. Rachel Rohrabacher (SC) 6-3, 2-6, 6-0
Notes: Florida 15-6, 10-1 SEC, Ranked #12 … South Carolina 18-4, 10-1 SEC, Ranked #5
Gator Pronunciations for this release
- Dave BALOGH (Associate Head Coach): BAY-log
- Anna Danilina: ON-nah don-uh-LEE-nah
- Josie Kuhlman: COOL-mun
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube |
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Team Stats
#1 Singles Match
123
366
I. Gamarra Martins / 0 (60/-) [SC]
611
#2 Singles Match
123
756
Mia Horvit / 0 [SC]
572
#3 Singles Match
123
776
Hadley Berg / 0 (31/-) [SC]
563
#4 Singles Match
12
63
Paige Cline / 0 [SC]
76
#5 Singles Match
12
32
Megan Davies / 0 [SC]
66
#6 Singles Match
123
626
Rachel Rohrabacher / 0 [SC]
360
Order of Finish:
5,6,1,4,3,2
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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