Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Off the heels of back-to-back top 25 wins on the road, the No. 23 University of Florida women's tennis team returns to the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex to host No. 43 Alabama and No. 49 Auburn this weekend as it kicks off a four-match home stand to conclude the dual match season.

The Gators and Crimson Tide square off at 3 p.m. ET on Friday and Florida wraps up its weekend with a 1 p.m. tilt with the Tigers on Sunday.

Note: Friday's match was initially scheduled for 5 p.m. but has been moved up to 3 p.m. due to the prospects of inclement weather in the Gainesville area. As a result of the adjusted match time, parking restrictions will be lifted for the law school parking lot starting at 2 p.m. In the event that heavy rain occurs, the match will be moved indoors.

The weekend features two exciting promotions as the first 100 fans will receive a free Florida women's tennis seat cushion on Friday and Sunday marks "Sunday Funday" as Mayflower Cellars food truck will be onsite and there will be free face painting for kids. In addition, all fans will be eligible to win special Florida Gators prize packs at each match. New this season, the concession stand is offering grilled items for all matches.

Match Notes

Florida (9-8, 6-4) returns to Gainesville after a lengthy road swing in which it played four consecutive matches away from home, all against top 50 opponents. The Gators split the trip with a pair of a wins and a pair of losses, but enter the weekend with some considerable momentum as they knocked off a duo of top 25 teams in No. 23 LSU and No. 12 Texas A&M in their two most recent contests. With the wins, Florida moved into a tie for fifth place with the Aggies.

Ranked 23^rd in this week's ITA top 50, Florida has earned its best ranking since the January 30 edition when it sported a No. 22 rank.

Marlee Zein played a pivotal role in the Gators' successful weekend, notching two singles victories, including the match clincher at No. 23 LSU, and a doubles win over No. 67 McQuaid/Quiterio of No. 12 Texas A&M. As a result, the Sugar Land, Texas native was tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Week, her first time earning the honor.

Sophomore Victoria Emma also picked up a match-clinching victory as she won the decisive matchup from the No. 3 slot to seal it for Florida Sunday against the lauded Aggies. . Emma also teamed up with classmate McCartney Kessler to knock off the defending doubles National Champions in No. 10 Eden Richardson/Jessica Golovin of LSU. Emma/Kessler cracked the ITA doubles rankings this week for the first time a result, as the sophomore duo earned a No. 65 ranking, its first time being ranked since the fall.

Knocking off No. 12 Texas A&M, Florida earned its first top 15 win since it defeated No. 5 South Carolina last April. 

No. 8 Ida Jarlskog continues to excel at the No. 1 position for UF, as the sophomore leads the team with a 14-5 record which includes an impressive 6-2 mark in conference play. Ranking wise, Jarlskog picked up her best victory of the season at LSU as she earned a 6-2, 6-3 victory over LSU's Richardson who entered the contest at the nation's No. 10 rank.

No. 43 Alabama (15-9, 3-6) enters the contest having dropped two of its past three contests and rolls into the weekend in a three-way tie for ninth place in the SEC standings. Senior No. 68 Andie Daniell has posted an 11-5 mark from the No. 1 spot for the Tide while junior Alba Cortina Pou paces the club with a 14-3 dual record, competing at No. 3 and No. 4. Cortina Pou and Luca Fabian have posted a team-best 10 doubles win competing at No. 2. The Crimson Tide are under the direction of 22^nd year head coach Jenny Mainz who is the longest-tenured Alabama coach.

No. 49 Auburn (13-11, 0-9) enters the weekend on a nine-match losing streak and fell at home to Tennessee and Georgia in its most recent action. The Tigers tout one ranked singles players in No. 103 Jaeda Daniel who was an All-SEC Freshman team honoree a season ago. No. 39 Sophia Graver and Taylor Russo combine to form Auburn's lone ranked doubles team and pace the team with an 11-3 record. Eighth-year head coach Lauren Spencer leads Auburn and has guided the Tigers to over 200 wins and six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Florida holds a 42-0 mark in the all-time series vs. Auburn which began in 1982. Florida is 17-0 against the Tigers in matches played at home.  

Following this weekend's play, No. 23 Florida returns to the court Thursday, April 11 when it hosts No. 18 Michigan before concluding its 2019 dual match campaign on Saturday, April 13 vs. No. 3 South Carolina.  

Match Info
Matchup: No. 23 Florida (9-8 ,6-4) vs. No. 43 Alabama (15-9, 3-6)
Date: Friday, April 5
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Gainesville, Fla.  
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Match Info
Matchup: No. 23 Florida (9-8 ,6-4) vs. No. 49 Auburn (13-11, 0-9)
Date: Sunday, April 7
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Gainesville, Fla. 
Live Stats
Live stream
Twitter Updates

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