Sunday, March 13
Gainesville, Fla.
1 PM
Florida Gators
4
vs
1
Tennessee
No. 15 Gators Defeat No. 16 Lady Volunteers on Chilly Sunday Afternoon
Sunday, March 13, 2022 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It was a chilly afternoon at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex on Sunday afternoon, but that didn't stop Florida women's tennis from putting together a strong performance to end a two-game losing skid, defeating No. 16 Tennessee, 4-1.
Sunday's matchup began with highly-contested doubles competition. The Lady Vols (8-4, 2-2 SEC) quickly took a 1-0 lead after Esther Adeshina and Elza Tomase defeated No. 18 Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee, 6-1, on court two. The Gators (9-4, 2-2 SEC) wasted no time in evening the score, however, as the three doubles squad of McCartney Kessler and Emma Shelton made quick work of their opponents, 6-1.
All eyes fell on court one for the doubles point clincher, where a top-10 doubles match was taking place. The No. 6 team of Carly Briggs and Marlee Zein opened up an early 4-1 lead over No. 10 Tenika McGiffin and Daria Kuczer. A battle-tested duo, the Lady Vols would break the Orange & Blue, pulling to within 4-3 before exchanging games to put the Gators in front, 5-4. Zein would use a big service return to break the Lady Vols once more and take the match, 6-4, giving UF a 1-0 lead overall.
Needing three singles victories to claim the match, No. 55 Zein got the Orange & Blue started off on the right foot. Facing off against No. 73 Tomase, Zein raced out to a one-set lead, taking the opener 6-3 after being tied 3-3 to begin. The senior found herself down, 2-3, at the start of the second set, but reeled-off four-straight games to win the set and match, 6-3, on court three.
The Lady Volunteers would score their first point of the day on court four, as Adeshina managed to overtake Briggs: 6-3, 6-1, but the momentum for the visitors wouldn't last long. On center court, No. 39 Kessler put on a strong performance against No. 31, Rebeka Mertena, in a battle between two of the country's best. The match, in which neither competitor would hold pull away by more than two games, was a back-and forth affair. Finding herself in a 4-4 gridlock in the second set, Kessler managed to break Mertena to pull ahead, 5-4, but the opposition would return the favor in the next game.
Kessler, no stranger to elite competition, put the Lady Vol on her heels in the next game, racing out to a 40-15 lead to help take the lead once more, 6-5. The Calhoun, Ga., native finished the job in the next game, claiming the match, 6-4, 7-5.
Sara Dahlstrom would play clincher for the home squad, but would have to earn a come-from-behind victory to do it. Eleonora Molinaro pushed the sophomore early at the six singles position, bursting out to a 6-3 set one victory. Dahlstrom remained composed and used back-to-back dominant sets to put the match away: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Florida will hit the road next weekend when they head to Columbia, Mo., for a matchup at Missouri on Friday, Mar. 18. The Gators will finish the weekend on the road in Fayetteville, Ark., for a Sunday head-to-head against Arkansas.
SINGLES
No. 39 McCartney Kessler def. No. 31 Rebeka Mertena: 6-4, 7-5
Alicia Dudeney vs. No. 45 Tenika McGiffin: 0-6, 6-4, 4-2 unf.
No. 55 Marlee Zein def. No. 73 Elza Tomase: 6-3, 6-3
Esther Adeshina def. Carly Briggs: 6-3, 6-1
Emma Shelton vs. Daria Kuczer: 7-6(5), 4-3 unf.
Sara Dahlstrom def. Eleonora Molinaro: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
DOUBLES
No. 6 Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein def. No. 10 Tenika McGiffin/Daria Kuczer: 6-4
Esther Adeshina/Elza Tomase def. No. 18 Alicia Dudeny/Bente Spee: 1-6
McCartney Kessler/Emma Shelton def. Eleonora Molinaro/Rebeka Mertena: 6-1
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
On Friday's match…
"We talked in the locker room and as a team, we're still searching for, I don't want to say a perfect performance, but a performance where everybody's playing at a high level. I felt like up until this time in the season we've had four-out-of-six or maybe three-out-of-six and I think we all agree that we're getting closer to getting everybody there."
On fighting back from early deficits…
"What I like about today is that we had a few players who perhaps didn't play great in an opening set, but didn't get rattled. They went right back to business and kept plugging away and plugging away. Those performances mean more to me than when we're feeling the ball great and just hitting winners while playing super. To win the SEC, you need to have thick skin, you have to be tough. You need to be able to win under pressure and I was happy to see Liss (Alicia Dudeney) and Sara (Dahlstrom), in particular, do that and Emma down here against a really tough competitor, who's their best point for Tennessee. Just a lot of positives today."
On the consistency Kessler provides…
"Obviously McCartney winning, we talked about her in the locker room because she always delivers for us all the time and it's so easy to overlook what she's putting together, but she's clearly one of the best players in America and we're very fortunate she's playing one for us."
On how the Gators will move forward…
"What we've discussed in the locker room is that the group, numbers 12 through 20, we feel like we do well against now. It's the teams that are in the top-10 where we have to have a more complete performance and I think we're getting closer to that. In order to beat Georgia, if we see them again, we're going to have to have everybody play at a reasonably high level and I think we can do that. Our practice habits have improved a lot the last few weeks and those green shoes usually take a little while to show up, but we feel good about the win today because the manner in which we won."
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Sunday's matchup began with highly-contested doubles competition. The Lady Vols (8-4, 2-2 SEC) quickly took a 1-0 lead after Esther Adeshina and Elza Tomase defeated No. 18 Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee, 6-1, on court two. The Gators (9-4, 2-2 SEC) wasted no time in evening the score, however, as the three doubles squad of McCartney Kessler and Emma Shelton made quick work of their opponents, 6-1.
All eyes fell on court one for the doubles point clincher, where a top-10 doubles match was taking place. The No. 6 team of Carly Briggs and Marlee Zein opened up an early 4-1 lead over No. 10 Tenika McGiffin and Daria Kuczer. A battle-tested duo, the Lady Vols would break the Orange & Blue, pulling to within 4-3 before exchanging games to put the Gators in front, 5-4. Zein would use a big service return to break the Lady Vols once more and take the match, 6-4, giving UF a 1-0 lead overall.
Needing three singles victories to claim the match, No. 55 Zein got the Orange & Blue started off on the right foot. Facing off against No. 73 Tomase, Zein raced out to a one-set lead, taking the opener 6-3 after being tied 3-3 to begin. The senior found herself down, 2-3, at the start of the second set, but reeled-off four-straight games to win the set and match, 6-3, on court three.
The Lady Volunteers would score their first point of the day on court four, as Adeshina managed to overtake Briggs: 6-3, 6-1, but the momentum for the visitors wouldn't last long. On center court, No. 39 Kessler put on a strong performance against No. 31, Rebeka Mertena, in a battle between two of the country's best. The match, in which neither competitor would hold pull away by more than two games, was a back-and forth affair. Finding herself in a 4-4 gridlock in the second set, Kessler managed to break Mertena to pull ahead, 5-4, but the opposition would return the favor in the next game.
Kessler, no stranger to elite competition, put the Lady Vol on her heels in the next game, racing out to a 40-15 lead to help take the lead once more, 6-5. The Calhoun, Ga., native finished the job in the next game, claiming the match, 6-4, 7-5.
Sara Dahlstrom would play clincher for the home squad, but would have to earn a come-from-behind victory to do it. Eleonora Molinaro pushed the sophomore early at the six singles position, bursting out to a 6-3 set one victory. Dahlstrom remained composed and used back-to-back dominant sets to put the match away: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Florida will hit the road next weekend when they head to Columbia, Mo., for a matchup at Missouri on Friday, Mar. 18. The Gators will finish the weekend on the road in Fayetteville, Ark., for a Sunday head-to-head against Arkansas.
SINGLES
No. 39 McCartney Kessler def. No. 31 Rebeka Mertena: 6-4, 7-5
Alicia Dudeney vs. No. 45 Tenika McGiffin: 0-6, 6-4, 4-2 unf.
No. 55 Marlee Zein def. No. 73 Elza Tomase: 6-3, 6-3
Esther Adeshina def. Carly Briggs: 6-3, 6-1
Emma Shelton vs. Daria Kuczer: 7-6(5), 4-3 unf.
Sara Dahlstrom def. Eleonora Molinaro: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
DOUBLES
No. 6 Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein def. No. 10 Tenika McGiffin/Daria Kuczer: 6-4
Esther Adeshina/Elza Tomase def. No. 18 Alicia Dudeny/Bente Spee: 1-6
McCartney Kessler/Emma Shelton def. Eleonora Molinaro/Rebeka Mertena: 6-1
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Roland Thornqvist
On Friday's match…
"We talked in the locker room and as a team, we're still searching for, I don't want to say a perfect performance, but a performance where everybody's playing at a high level. I felt like up until this time in the season we've had four-out-of-six or maybe three-out-of-six and I think we all agree that we're getting closer to getting everybody there."
On fighting back from early deficits…
"What I like about today is that we had a few players who perhaps didn't play great in an opening set, but didn't get rattled. They went right back to business and kept plugging away and plugging away. Those performances mean more to me than when we're feeling the ball great and just hitting winners while playing super. To win the SEC, you need to have thick skin, you have to be tough. You need to be able to win under pressure and I was happy to see Liss (Alicia Dudeney) and Sara (Dahlstrom), in particular, do that and Emma down here against a really tough competitor, who's their best point for Tennessee. Just a lot of positives today."
On the consistency Kessler provides…
"Obviously McCartney winning, we talked about her in the locker room because she always delivers for us all the time and it's so easy to overlook what she's putting together, but she's clearly one of the best players in America and we're very fortunate she's playing one for us."
On how the Gators will move forward…
"What we've discussed in the locker room is that the group, numbers 12 through 20, we feel like we do well against now. It's the teams that are in the top-10 where we have to have a more complete performance and I think we're getting closer to that. In order to beat Georgia, if we see them again, we're going to have to have everybody play at a reasonably high level and I think we can do that. Our practice habits have improved a lot the last few weeks and those green shoes usually take a little while to show up, but we feel good about the win today because the manner in which we won."
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Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
#1 Singles Match
12
Mertena, Rebeka / 0 (31/-) [694]
45
67
#2 Singles Match
1234
McGiffin, Tenika / 0 (45/-) [694]
6420
064UF
#3 Singles Match
12
Tomase, Elza / 0 (73/-) [694]
33
66
#4 Singles Match
12
Adeshina, Esther / 0 [694]
66
31
#5 Singles Match
123
Kuczer, Daria / 0 [694]
630
74UF
#6 Singles Match
123
Molinaro, Eleonora / 0 [694]
621
366
Order of Finish:
3,4,1,6
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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