McCartney Kessler (left) and Marlee Zein (right) will represent UF in the NCAA Individual Championships.
NCAA Individual Championships Kickoff Sunday
Saturday, May 22, 2021 | Women's Tennis
Senior McCartney Kessler and junior Marlee Zein to represent Gators at season-ending event.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida women's tennis student-athletes McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein are set for competition in the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships which will take place Sunday, May 23 through Friday, May 28 in Lake Nona at the USTA National Campus (Collegiate Center).
An at large selection, Kessler is the No. 8 overall seed in singles. In doubles, Kessler and Zein earned the tournament's No. 6 overall seed via an at large bid. Kessler kicks off competition in singles play on Sunday, May 23 when she takes on Vanessa Wong of Washington at 12:30 p.m. ET. Doubles competition begins on Monday, May 24 as Kessler and Zein battle Ally Bojczuk and Julia Lilien of Notre Dame with a first serve time still yet to be announced.
The singles and doubles competition, which consists of 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams, will be conducted May 23-28.
Kessler was a formidable force all season long in both singles and doubles, leading the Gators in wins in both. The three-time All-SEC selection will make her second appearance in the event after also taking part in the singles draw in 2019. For the junior Zein, 2021 marks her first appearance in the individual tournament.
Kessler (14-2), who wrapped up the season on an eight-match winning streak, collected seven victories over ranked opponents and her steady performance helped the Gators secure seven-straight wins to close out the regular season. The Georgia native opened the year ranked No. 32 and has climbed to as high as No. 7 this season.
Kessler and Zein combined to form one of the nation's top doubles duos. Registering a team-best 11 dual match victories, including five over ranked foes, Kessler and Zein rose to as high as No. 2 in ITA rankings at a point in the season.
Automatic qualification into the Division I singles championship was awarded to any conference with one or more eligible singles players ranked in the ITA Top 125 for eligible/entered singles players. For conferences with more than one singles player within the ITA Top 125 eligible/entered singles players, the subcommittee applied the NCAA selection criteria to determine which student-athlete is the automatic qualifier from those conferences. All singles players must have had a minimum of 13 started singles matches, with six matches in the spring, in order to be selected as an automatic qualifier or an at-large selection.
Automatic qualification into the Division I doubles championship was awarded to any conference with one or more eligible doubles teams ranked in the ITA Top 60 for eligible/entered doubles teams. For conferences with more than one doubles team within the ITA Top 60 eligible/entered doubles teams, the subcommittee applied the NCAA selection criteria to determine which doubles team is the automatic qualifier from those conferences. All doubles teams must have started a minimum of 10 doubles matches, with a minimum of four matches in the spring, in order to be selected as an automatic qualifier or an at-large selection.
The Gators have produced four NCAA Singles Champions (1988, 1992, 1993 and 1996) and five NCAA Doubles Champions (1991, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2016).
All matches shall be the best-of-three sets. No-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker (first to seven points, must win by two points) at six-games-all will be used for all matches. In doubles, a 10-point match tiebreaker will be played in lieu of a third set.
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An at large selection, Kessler is the No. 8 overall seed in singles. In doubles, Kessler and Zein earned the tournament's No. 6 overall seed via an at large bid. Kessler kicks off competition in singles play on Sunday, May 23 when she takes on Vanessa Wong of Washington at 12:30 p.m. ET. Doubles competition begins on Monday, May 24 as Kessler and Zein battle Ally Bojczuk and Julia Lilien of Notre Dame with a first serve time still yet to be announced.
The singles and doubles competition, which consists of 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams, will be conducted May 23-28.
| 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships Info |
|---|
| Dates | May 23-28 |
| Location | Lake Nona, Fla. |
| Venue | USTA National Campus |
| Singles Draws | Here |
| Doubles Draws | Here |
| Live Stats | Here |
| Live Stream | Here |
| Tournament Central | Here |
Kessler was a formidable force all season long in both singles and doubles, leading the Gators in wins in both. The three-time All-SEC selection will make her second appearance in the event after also taking part in the singles draw in 2019. For the junior Zein, 2021 marks her first appearance in the individual tournament.
Kessler (14-2), who wrapped up the season on an eight-match winning streak, collected seven victories over ranked opponents and her steady performance helped the Gators secure seven-straight wins to close out the regular season. The Georgia native opened the year ranked No. 32 and has climbed to as high as No. 7 this season.
Kessler and Zein combined to form one of the nation's top doubles duos. Registering a team-best 11 dual match victories, including five over ranked foes, Kessler and Zein rose to as high as No. 2 in ITA rankings at a point in the season.
Automatic qualification into the Division I singles championship was awarded to any conference with one or more eligible singles players ranked in the ITA Top 125 for eligible/entered singles players. For conferences with more than one singles player within the ITA Top 125 eligible/entered singles players, the subcommittee applied the NCAA selection criteria to determine which student-athlete is the automatic qualifier from those conferences. All singles players must have had a minimum of 13 started singles matches, with six matches in the spring, in order to be selected as an automatic qualifier or an at-large selection.
Automatic qualification into the Division I doubles championship was awarded to any conference with one or more eligible doubles teams ranked in the ITA Top 60 for eligible/entered doubles teams. For conferences with more than one doubles team within the ITA Top 60 eligible/entered doubles teams, the subcommittee applied the NCAA selection criteria to determine which doubles team is the automatic qualifier from those conferences. All doubles teams must have started a minimum of 10 doubles matches, with a minimum of four matches in the spring, in order to be selected as an automatic qualifier or an at-large selection.
The Gators have produced four NCAA Singles Champions (1988, 1992, 1993 and 1996) and five NCAA Doubles Champions (1991, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2016).
All matches shall be the best-of-three sets. No-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker (first to seven points, must win by two points) at six-games-all will be used for all matches. In doubles, a 10-point match tiebreaker will be played in lieu of a third set.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
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