AUBURN, Ala. – The Gators capped their four-match road trip with a gritty 4-1 victory against No. 15 Auburn at the Yarbrough Tennis Center Saturday afternoon.
 
The decisions for the clinching doubles point and the dual match came down to a tiebreak and 18th-ranked Florida won both en route to winning its third consecutive match.
 
Josie Kuhlman and McCartney Kessler produced the 7-6 (8-6) victory against Taylor Russo and Alannah Griffin to secure the important doubles point. Auburn took the win on court three, before the Gator pair of Anna Danilina and Victoria Emma captured the decision on court one to set the stage for Kuhlman and Kessler.
 
The Gator improved to 10-1 this season after winning the doubles point, however, it took a hard-fought effort on the singles court to net another dual match win.
 
Florida won the first set on four courts, with one of those 7-5 and another 7-6 (4). The Tigers won the other two first set, as one of those was decided by a tiebreak.
 
Auburn took the first singles win of the day, before Danilina punched in a 6-3, 6-3 mark on court one and put Florida back in the lead, 2-1. The victory was the 90th career win for the Gator senior, who won her fifth consecutive singles matches.
 
Freshman Katie Kubicz followed with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 win for her second straight big result and gave Florida a 3-1 lead.
 
Kubicz's fellow freshman, McCartney Kessler, provided the clinching victory with a 7-5, 7-6 (5). The win was Kessler's sixth straight as she improved to team-best 12-4 in dual matches, including 6-1 in Southeastern Conference action.
 
The matches of seniors Kuhlman and Peggy Porter were abandoned once Kessler secured the dual match. Kuhlman had forced a second set and was leading 3-2, while Porter led 7-6 (2), 5-4.
 
Florida vs. Auburn: The UPDATED Series

• All-Time: UF leads the all-time series against Auburn, 42-0 (UF at home: 17-0; away 22-0; neutral 3-0)
• Last Meeting: The Gators defeated the Tigers, 4-2, in the quarterfinals of the 2017 SEC Tournament on April 22, 2017 in Nashville.
• Streak: The Gators have never lost in the series that began in 1982.
• Of Note: Florida and Auburn have met twice in each of the last two seasons, with the programs squaring off in the SEC Tournament after the regular season.

 
Road-Sweet-Road

• Saturday's match at Auburn was Florida's 13th away from Gainesville this season (8-5 record)
• The Gators have played 10 matches on true away courts (8-2) and three at neutral sites (0-3).

 
Quotes from the Court – UF Coach Roland Thornqvist
"It was an absolute dog-fight against this Auburn team. Even though they were without a couple regular starters, they were an awfully tough challenge for us. I was really pleased with how we handled the win today.
 
"This weekend was certainly highlighted by the play of Anna Danilina, she was absolutely fantastic in her play. She's hitting the ball with a little more venom and mentally she's reached a place where she is super, super confident. That seems to spread throughout the lineup.
 
"I was really pleased with how we competed today. We perhaps weren't striking the ball in the wind as well as we can but we were tough on critical points."
 
  
What's Next for the Gators

• Who: Florida plays host to Arkansas (5-10, 1-5 SEC)
• When: Thursday at 5 p.m. ET
• Where: Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex * Gainesville, FL

Match 17
#18 Florida at #15 Auburn
Yarbrough Tennis Center at Auburn, Ala.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
 
Final: #18 Florida 4, #15 Auburn 1
 
Doubles (order of finish: 3, 1, 2*)
1. #23 Anna Danilina/Victoria Emma (UF) def. Georgie Axon/Caroline Turner (AUBURN) 6-2
2. Josie Kuhlman/McCartney Kessler (UF) def. Taylor Russo/Alannah Griffin (AUBURN) 7-6 (8-6)*
3. Jaeda Daniel/Andie Dikosavljevic (AUBURN) def. Peggy Porter/Katie Kubicz (UF) 6-3
 
Singles (order of finish: 3, 1, 6, 4*)
1. #19 Anna Danilina (UF) def. #79 Jaeda Daniel (AUBURN) 6-3, 6-3
2. Andie Dikosavljevic (AUBURN) vs. #48 Josie Kuhlman (UF) 6-4, 4-6, 2-3, unfinished
3. Taylor Russo (AUBURN) def. Victoria Emma (UF) 6-3, 6-3
4. McCartney Kessler (UF) def. Georgie Axon (AUBURN) 7-5, 7-6 (5)*
5. Caroline Turner (AUBURN) vs. Peggy Porter (UF) 6-7 (2-7), 4-5, unfinished
6. Katie Kubicz (UF) def. Alannah Griffin (AUBURN) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
 
Match Notes:
Florida 12-5, 7-1 SEC; National ranking #18
Auburn 16-7, 4-3 SEC; National ranking #15
Played outdoors
 
 
Gator Pronunciations

• Anna Danilina: ON-nah don-uh-LEE-nah
• Josie Kuhlman: COOL-mun

 
 
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