SEC Champion to be Crowned Saturday in Gainesville

Saturday, April 14

Gainesville, FL

11 AM

Florida Gators

Vanderbilt

Senior Anna Danilina has won a team-best 25 singles matches.

SEC Champion to be Crowned Saturday in Gainesville

Friday, April 13, 2018 | Women's Tennis

UF Notes

At 11 a.m., Florida plays host to No. 3 Vanderbilt in a winner-take-the title match.

By: Kathy Cafazzo

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Everything the Gators have worked toward the entire year is in front of them. On the final day of the regular season, the Southeastern Conference champion will be crowned.

No. 10 Florida plays host to No. 3 Vanderbilt on Saturday at the Ring Tennis Complex, where first serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. Winner takes the title.

The Gators and Commodores both sport 11-1 SEC records and sit atop the standings.

Admission & Parking (at the UF Law School) is FREE!

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Déjà vu

The 2017 SEC championship also came down to the final day of play, with Florida, Vanderbilt and Georgia all in the mix with an 11-1 record.
The Commodores topped the Gators, 4-2, in Nashville and ended Florida's title hopes.
Texas A&M upset the Bulldogs, leaving Vanderbilt as the league champion the first time in program history.

Saturday in Gainesville #WeChompWeekend
If you're a Gator fan, Gainesville is the place to be on Saturday (in other words - get to campus early and enjoy the day!)

11 a.m. - Women's Tennis vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt
12 p.m. - Lacrosse vs. Marquette
12 p.m. - Softball vs. South Carolina
3 p.m. - Football hosts Orange & Blue Game
5 p.m. - Baseball vs. Missouri

Oh, and it's Senior Day on Saturday!

SEC championship race aside, the Gators will recognize their three seniors in a pre-match ceremony on Saturday.
Anna Danilina - will graduate at the end of this semester with a degree in Economics
Josie Kuhlman - will graduate at the end of this semester with a degree in Public Relations
Peggy Porter - will graduate at the end of this semester with a degree in Finance

Florida vs. Vanderbilt: The Series

All-Time: UF leads the all-time series against Vanderbilt 49-7 (UF at home: 21-0; Away: 14-4; Neutral: 14-3).
Last Meeting: Earlier this year, Vanderbilt claimed the 4-0 decision on Feb. 10 in the quarterfinals of the 2018 National Team Indoor Championships played in Madison, Wis.
Streak: While the Gators hold a large lead in the 56-match series that began in 1980, Vanderbilt has won 6 of the last 8 meetings.
Last Year: The teams met three times last season: Vanderbilt won the regular-season match (4-2) and the SEC Tournament Final (4-3) bout, before Florida took the NCAA Semifinals win (4-2) en route to the seventh national championship in program history.

Streaks

Florida returned to the win column after last Saturday's 4-2 victory at South Carolina. The Gators stepped out of conference action on April 1 and had their five-match win streak halted against Texas. The Gators have won two in a row, but seven consecutive SEC matches entering Saturday, with its lone league loss against Georgia on March 16.
Vanderbilt has won seven consecutive matches entering Saturday's match in Gainesville. The Commodores' lone SEC loss was at Mississippi State, 4-3, on March 15.

SEC Regular-Season Champions

Of the 38 all-time Southeastern Conference regular-season championships, Florida (29) and Georgia (9) have won at least a part of 35 of those, sharing the title three times.
Kentucky (2005), Texas A&M (3-way-tie 2013) and Vanderbilt (2017) are the only other schools that have won the SEC regular-season title.

Competitors in the Individual ORACLE/ITA National Rankings

Florida: SINGLES - #13 Anna Danilina, #45 Josie Kuhlman; #94 McCartney Kessler; DOUBLES - #14 Anna Danilina & Victoria Emma
Vanderbilt: SINGLES - #6 Fernanda Contreras, #8 Astra Sharma, #50 Christina Rosca; DOUBLES - #19 Fernanda Contreras & Astra Sharma, #20 Christina Rosca & Emma Kurtz, #71 Emma Kurtz & Emily Smith

Quotes from the Court
UF Head Coach Roland Thornqvist:
On playing for the SEC title:
"What I told the team in the locker room (after the win on Thursday), was to enjoy this. They've earned this (right to play for the SEC title). We're really going to enjoy this because it's one of the best feelings in sport – when you have a couple days to prepare for a chance to win a trophy. This is an awfully big trophy and I want our players to enjoy it."

Senior Anna Danilina
On being in this same position last year and losing to Vanderbilt on the final day:
"I remember it and it didn't feel great after we lost. I will try to do my best with no regrets. I'll try to play my best tennis and we'll see. They are a really great team."

Match Day at a Glace

Who: No. 10 Florida (16-6, 11-1 SEC) hosts No. 3 Vanderbilt (18-3, 11-1 SEC)
When: Saturday, April 14 at 11 a.m.
Where: Linder Stadium at the Ring Tennis Complex
Admission: FREE
UF Media Notes: https://bit.ly/2Hf7ZXR
Promotion: First 100 fans receive a free Pint Glass
Live Online Video & Scoring: http://floridagators.com/tennis-women-live