FINAL RESULTS (PDF)
 
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Securing its fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season, the No. 29 University of Florida women's tennis team (7-6, 5-3) knocked off the No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks (10-3, 4-3) by a tally of 4-0 Sunday afternoon at Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
 
Claiming their fourth-straight victory at home, all over ranked opponents, the Gators put together a strong doubles performance and carried the momentum into singles play where Sydney Berlin, Layne Sleeth and Sara Dahlstrom all posted victories.
 
Florida's bottom three courts – four, five and six – accounted for all three of its singles wins as the freshman Dahlstrom provided the match clincher from court five.
 
Taking on their ninth ranked opponent this season, the battle-tested Gators won the doubles point for the second time in as many matches and that coupled with sharp singles play, propelled them to their fifth SEC victory.
 
In a back-and-forth doubles competition featuring high-level play from both sides, Florida came out on top with victories on courts one and three. Berlin and Dahlstrom struck first with a 6-4 victory over Rijkers and Keller on the third court. Florida's duo jumped ahead 2-0 and closed its opponent out for its first dual match win as a pairing. The Gators' top tandem would be the one to clinch the point as No. 26 McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein rattled off their ninth-straight victory and dispatched No. 28 Alter and Rice, 6-4.
 
Kessler and Zein, who improved to 5-1 against ranked opponents, trailed 4-3 and faced a 40-0 deficit when it was 4-4, but rallied back to register the decisive point. Layne Sleeth and Ida Jarlskog played a strong match on court two but saw the verdict go unfinished at 5-3 in their favor.
 
Florida kept its foot on the gas in singles, establishing leads on several courts in the early going and claiming five of the opening sets. Berlin's court was the first to go as the junior played to a clinical 6-3, 6-1 win on five. The left-hander fell behind 2-1 early but from that point forward was dominant as she bested Lauren Alter in straight sets. Soon after Sleeth scored from court four with an impressive 6-3, 6-0 victory over Morgan Cross. The Canadian sophomore improved her record to 4-1 in dual match competition.
 
With a 3-0 lead, Florida was in the mix on all four remaining courts but it was Dahlstrom's effort that would decide the match. The freshman from Sweden collected a two-set win but was met a challenge in the second set. Dahlstrom held a 5-4 lead in the second set but trailed 40-15 with possession of the serve. The powerful right hander fought all the way back and won the deciding game to push Florida to another win over a ranked for at home.
 
The top three courts all ended with unfinished scores. No. 32 Kessler saw her match halted at 7-6, 2-4 while Zein and Jarlskog saw their contests end early in third sets.
 
Featuring a reshaped singles and doubles lineup for the second-straight match, the Gators found success in both facets of the competition. 

UF improved to 32-1 all time against Arkansas.
 
UP NEXT: The Gators, who will have a break in the action next weekend, return to match play March 25 when they travel to Ole Miss.
 
No. 29 Florida 4, No. 20 Arkansas 0

Doubles Results
No. 26 McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein (UF) def. Lauren Alter and Tatum Rice, 6-4
Ida Jarlskog and Layne Sleeth (UF) vs. Morgan Cross and Indianna Spink, 5-3 (Unfinished)
Sydney Berlin and Sara Dahlstrom (UF) def. Laura Rijkers and Kelly Keller, 6-4
 
Doubles order of finish: 3, 1

Singles Results
No. 32 McCartney Kessler (UF) vs. Indianna Spink, 7-6, 2-4 (Unfinished)
Marlee Zein (UF) vs. Kelly Keller, 4-6, 6-3, 0-1 (Unfinished)
Ida Jarlskog (UF) vs. Tatum Rice, 6-1. 3-6, 0-1 (Unfinished)
No. 65 Layne Sleeth (UF) def. Morgan Cross, 6-3, 6-0
Sara Dahlstrom (UF) vs. Laura Rijkers, 6-3, 6-4
Sydney Berlin  (UF) def. Lauren Alter, 6-3, 6-1

Singles order of finish: 6, 4, 5
 
Quotes from the Court
Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
Overall thoughts on the match…
"I am very pleased. I think the whole team is pleased because we obviously had some adversity in the beginning of the season. We tried to stay positive and tell our team that you can't win championship in January and February. Slowly now we are healthy and we are starting to play better. We are more durable in rallies, and we are certainly more resilient in the ups and downs of the competitive part in both singles and doubles. So I think we are starting to feel that we are starting to be the team we thought we could be when we started this journey. That's really exciting."
 
On the team's depth playing a factor…
"I think that's very important to be honest with you. If you want to be a really good team, you have to be able to win at all six spots and that gives everybody a lot more confidence. Even McCartney (Kessler) who has been on top of the world, knows now that she doesn't have to win for us to win as a team. That should lift some pressure; hopefully even translate to some even better performances from her. But overall, I think everyone is feeling great now and feeling like we are continuing to improve which is absolutely the most important thing."  
 
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