Top-Ranked UF Women's Tennis Hosts UCF on Wednesday at 3 pm
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 | Women's Tennis
Florida returns to the court after a week-long break and plays host to UCF on Wednesday at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex beginning at 3 p.m.
The first 150 fans receive a free Florida Tennis long-sleeve t-shirt. Admission to all regular-season home matches is free.
The Gators are 9-0 all-time against the Knights (1-3), with one meeting in each of the last eight seasons after the inaugural match in 2002 in the first round of the NCAA Championships.
Florida owns a 189-33 record against in-state rivals and has reeled off 11 straight victories against Sunshine State opponents, with the most recent a 4-1 win against No. 5 Miami on May 22, 2011, in the quarterfinals of the 2011 NCAA Championships.
· WATCH UF head coach Roland Thornqvist's weekly press conference – FREE courtesy of GatorVision Online
Stephanie Nickitas, now in her fifth year as the head coach at UCF, was one of the most successful student-athletes in the history of Gator athletics and will be officially inducted into UF's athletic Hall of Fame in April. Nickitas, who played for the Gators from 1995-99, was a four-time Grand Slam champion, winning the titles for the 1996 ROLEX Indoor Doubles, 1996 NCAA Doubles Championship, the 1997 NCAA Doubles Championship and the 1997 ITA Clay Doubles title. She completed her career as a six-time All-American, a four-time first team All-SEC singles performer and three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member. Stephanie was a two-time first team GTE Academic All-American and winner of the NCAA Today's Top VIII Award. Additionally, she was presented the 1998 ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award. She was a member of the first doubles team in the history of the NCAA Championships to win two doubles titles and the 1996 and '97 Doubles Team of the Year honors. UF posted an impressive 120-3 record during her four-year tenure, which included two NCAA championships (1996 & '98), two NCAA runner-up positions (1997 & '99), three National Team Indoor titles (1996, '97 & '99), four SEC regular season titles (1996, '97, '98 & '99) & three SEC Tournament crowns (1996, '97 & '98).
Florida is 1-0 at home this year and sports an overall program-record home winning streak of 96, which includes 17 wins in postseason play (SEC and NCAA Tournament). The Gators set a new standard with their 6-1 victory over Mississippi State on March 29, 2009, passing the previous record of 60.
Florida (1-0 at home this year) has won 103 consecutive regular-season home matches - not including SEC Tournament or NCAA Championship events. The current streak is the longest of its kind in program history, passing the 71 in a row compiled from 1994-2001.
The Gators launched their 40th season of varsity competition on Jan. 25 with a dominating 7-0 sweep of Troy, as the Gators extended their overall win streak to 22, a run that ranks as the eighth-longest in program history.
The season-opening outcome also marked the 250th victory for head coach Roland Thornqvist, who is in his 11th season with the Gators. The win was the 325th of his 16-year collegiate career, as he has compiled a 250-30 ledger in Gainesville and improved to 325-80 overall.
Junior Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) didn't lose a game in her singles or doubles matches in the opener against Troy, as she posted her third career double-bagel singles win which was her 42nd consecutive dual match singles victory, as well as her 31st straight doubles win in dual match competition.
Junior Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) is 6-0 overall in singles action this year and enters Wednesday's match with a career 89-10 singles record.
