BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Florida women's tennis freshman
Alicia Dudeney was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for her performances against No. 42 Alabama and No. 13 Auburn over the weekend, the SEC announced Wednesday afternoon.
The award marks her second weekly honor of the season after taking home SEC Player of the Week honors on Feb. 9 following victories over No. 17 Old Dominion and No. 24 Florida State.
Dudeney had a perfect weekend of competition for the Gators, going 2-0 in singles play and 1-0 in doubles competition. To start the weekend, the freshman made sure that Friday's match against No. 42 Alabama would end with an Orange & Blue sweep, playing clincher on court four. The Hove, United Kingdom, native found herself in a back-and-forth match against Anna Parkhomenko early, holding a 4-3 lead midway through the first set. The two would continue to exchange punches, leading to a 6-4 set one victory for Dudeney before a dominant 6-1 second set. On the doubles side, the freshman was leading Bencheikh/Hiser at the top position alongside
McCartney Kessler, 5-2, before the match was abandoned.
Against No. 13 Auburn, the duo of Dudeney and Kessler would pull the Gators back even with the opposition on the top court in doubles competition. Facing off with the No. 12 doubles team in the country of Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault, Florida raced out to a 3-1 lead and never looked back, earning an impressive 6-3 victory. Dudeney recorded the lone singles win of the day for Florida, making quick work of opponent Adeline Flach in the opening set, 6-0, before nearly completing the sweep in the second, securing a 6-1 set and match victory.
Overall, Dudeney is now 11-4 in both dual doubles and singles competition. She now boasts a 6-3 record in SEC singles as well, having won four-consecutive matches.
The Gators are slated to finish the regular season with a crucial matchup against No. 23 South Carolina on Saturday, Apr. 16, at 1 p.m. The winner of the regular season finale will secure the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament next week.
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