Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – You would never know it by the way the top-ranked Florida played this weekend, but several members of the team battled the flu bug all week and blanked two Southeastern Conference teams, including Sunday's 4-0 victory against No. 11 Auburn at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
 
With on-court temperatures topping the 100-degree mark, Florida wasn't deterred by the heat or its strong opponent and came out focused on the singles and doubles courts.
 
The doubles team of Josie Kuhlman and Belinda Woolcock continued its amazing run and was the first off the court again on Sunday with a 6-1 win.
 
The match on court one was, as expected, a battle between two teams ranked among the nation's top-12. UF's No. 9-ranked tandem of Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan fell just short to Auburn's No. 12-ranked pair of Alizee Michaud and Taylor Russo, as the match was on-serve through five games, before the Tigers earned a pair of breaks, later serving out for the 6-3 decision.
 
Anna Danilina and Ingrid Neel raced out to a 5-0 lead on court two, before Andie Dikosavljevic and Alannah Griffin found their groove and won four straight games. The Gators resettled and Neel served out for the win, dropping just one point and UF captured the doubles point.
 
Florida was equally proficient on the singles courts, where the Gators won the first set at all six positions. Austin was the first off the court, followed by Kuhlman and Neel, as the Gators won their fifth consecutive dual match.
 
Swinging in Singles

• Austin won the final eight games of her 6-3, 6-0 match and improved to 12-1 in dual match play, including a 5-0 record in SEC matches.
• Kuhlman won her team-leading 27th overall singles match, as she moved to 12-1 in dual matches and 7-0 in league play.
• Neel, who didn't lose her serve once during her singles match, is 14-4 overall, 11-3 in dual matches after today's clinching win.

 
Doubling their Fun

• Florida won the doubles point for the 16th time this season.
• Similar to Friday's match, the doubles team of Josie Kuhlman and Belinda Woolcock posted the first win of the match, 6-1, and improved to 15-2 in dual matches, including 8-0 in SEC play.
• Anna Danilina and Ingrid Neel provided the clinching doubles-point win, 6-4, and improved to 13-2 overall and 7-1 in SEC matches.

 
Florida vs. Auburn: The Series

• 40-Match Series: UF leads 40-0 (UF at home 17-0, Away 20-0, Neutral 3-0)
• Last Meeting: April 23, 2016 - Baton Rouge, La. - Gators won, 4-2

 
Did you Know?

• Florida has just four more regular season matches remaining – with two of those at home.
• There continues to be a three-team logjam at the top of the SEC standings, with the Gators tied with Vanderbilt and Georgia - which had a bye Sunday.
• Florida's only SEC loss was to Georgia, which lost to Vanderbilt, which lost at Kentucky.
• The Gators will end their regular season playing at Kentucky (April 14) and at Vanderbilt (April 16).
• The Gators host Ole Miss and Mississippi State next weekend.

 
Records

• Florida: 18-1, 8-1 SEC
• Auburn: 19-7, 3-6 SEC

 
Quoting UF Head Coach Roland Thornqvist:
Overall thoughts on the match:

• "This was the best tennis we've played in about a month. This was a complete match. It was fantastic at every court – I thought we played at a really high level.
• We had a tough week with several players getting the flu and we survived against two very talented teams from the state of Alabama. I was very pleased with how we conduced our business even though we had some illnesses."

 
On the play of Josie Kuhlman:

• "That was some of the best tennis I've seen on these courts in years. That was flawless tennis. She played at a high-pace with very few unforced errors. Her forehand is huge now. She's serving well, competing well. You can tell she's very confidence and has taken a big step forward."

 
 
Women's College Tennis
No. 11 Auburn at No. 1 Florida
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex * Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, April 02, 2017
 
Final: Florida 4, Auburn 0
 
Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 1, 2*)
1. #12 Alizee Michaud / Taylor Russo, AU d. #9 Brooke Austin / Kourtney Keegan, UF 6-3
2. #24 Anna Danilina / Ingrid Neel, UF d. Andie Dikosavljevic / Alannah Griffin, AU 6-4*
3. #35 Josie Kuhlman / Belinda Woolcock, UF d. Reka Muller / Georgie Axon, AU 6-1
 
Singles (Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*)
1. #21 Belinda Woolcock, UF vs. #78 Andie Dikosavljevic, AU 6-3, 4-3 DNF
2. #15 Josie Kuhlman, UF d. #34 Alizee Michaud, AU 6-4, 6-0
3. #16 Ingrid Neel, UF d. #85 Taylor Russo, AU 6-2, 6-4*
4. Brooke Austin, UF d. Georgie Axon, AU 6-3, 6-0
5. #35 Kourtney Keegan, vs. Alannah Griffin, AU 6-2, 5-1 DNF
6. #68 Spencer Liang, UF vs. Roos van der Zwaan, AU 6-4, 3-2 DNF
*clinching doubles/dual match point
 
 
What's Next for the Gators

• Who: Ole Miss at No. 1 Florida
• When: Friday, April 7 * 5 p.m. ET
• Where: Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex * Gainesville, Fla.
• Live Scoring Link: http://sidearmstats.com/florida/wten/
• Live VIDEO Link (FREE): http://floridagators.com/sports/2017/1/20/tennis-live-video-stats.aspx

 
 
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube |
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
 
-0-