Friday, April 22
Gainesville, Fla.
9 AM
Florida Gators
vs
Arkansas
Fourth-Seeded Gators Set to Open SEC Tournament on Friday
Thursday, April 21, 2022 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The fourth-seeded Florida women's tennis team is set to open the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday morning when they meet fifth-seeded Arkansas for a 9 a.m. ET matchup at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
Friday's quarterfinal round can be viewed online at FloridaGators.com while the semifinal round on Saturday will be streamed on SEC Network+. The championship match on Sunday afternoon will be aired live on SEC Network.
PARKING AND WEATHER REPORT
Parking for the SEC Tournament can be found in the green lot next to the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, with overflow parking available in front of the track and field stadium. For the remainder of the tournament, ample sunshine and temperatures in the 80s are set to hold in Gainesville.
AT THE SEC TOURNAMENT
Historically, Florida is strong at the SEC Tournament. The Gators (18-5, 10-3 SEC) boast a 78-13 mark at the tournament, including an impressive 31-2 mark in the quarterfinal round. When advancing to the semifinal round, Florida holds a 27-4 mark and, in the 27 tournament championship appearances, UF is 20-7. Overall, the Orange & Blue have made the semifinal round or better 31 times.
HOSTING THE 'SHIPS
The 2022 season marks the third time in program history that Florida has hosted the SEC Tournament in Gainesville. Up to this point, Florida holds a perfect 6-0 record at home for the championships, including a perfect three-match stretch of 4-0 victories in 2006 (defeating Kentucky for the title) and a near-perfect outing in 1996, defeating Vanderbilt, 6-0, for the trophy.
AGAINST THE FIELD – SEC TOURNAMENT EDITION
Alabama – 4-0, UF
Arkansas – 3-0, UF
Auburn – 4-0, UF
Georgia – 12-6, UF
Kentucky – 7-0, UF
LSU – 7-0, UF
Ole Miss – 10-1, UF
Mississippi State – 2-0, UF
South Carolina – 8-2, UF
Tennessee – 8-0, UF
Texas A&M – 1-1, Tie
Vanderbilt – 12-3, UF
IN THE REGULAR SEASON
During the regular season, the Gators and Razorbacks met in Fayetteville, Ark., with Arkansas (16-8, 8-5 SEC) ranked No. 36 in the country. In a close battle, Florida managed to hold off the opposition for a 4-3 victory, picking up victories from McCartney Kessler, Alicia Dudeney, Marlee Zein and Carly Briggs after dropping the doubles point.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Brooke Austin (2015, 16)
Marrit Boonstra (2010)
Anna Danilina (2017, 18)
Lauren Embree (2012, 13)
Olivia Janowicz (2011, 2013)
McCartney Kessler (2018)
Kourtney Keegan (2017)
Joanna Mather (2012)
Brianna Morgan (2016)
Allie Will (2010, 11)
TOURNAMENT MVP
2000 - Baili Camino, Florida
2002 - Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida
2003 - Jennifer Magley, Florida
2004 - Julie Rotondi, Florida
2005 - Zerene Reyes, Florida
2006 - Diana Srebrovic, Florida
2010 – Marrit Boonstra, Florida
2011 – Allie Will, Florida
2012 – Joanna Mather, Florida
2013 – Olivia Janowicz, Florida
2016 - Brianna Morgan, Florida
WEEKLY SWEEP
McCartney Kessler and Alicia Dudeney swept the final SEC weekly awards of the season. Kessler, earning her first SEC Player of the Week award, came up big for the Gators in a dramatic regular season finale to claim the fourth seed in the SEC Tournament. Needing a victory over No. 23 South Carolina to clinch the double-bye, No. 66 Dudeney and Kessler were dominant in doubles, earning their second-straight ranked win as a pair. The Florida squad gained the lead at 2-1 early in the match, and they never looked back, taking down the No. 35 Sarah Hamner and Megan Davies to give UF an early advantage in doubles play. In the premiere match of the weekend, No. 12 Kessler matched up with No. 5 Sarah Hamner at the top singles position. Kessler did not disappoint. The graduate enforced her will in the opening set en route to a 6-1 opening frame victory. Hamner, a top-five player in the nation for a reason, responded in the second set, opening up a 4-3 lead over the UF graduate midway through the second. Kessler remained composed to record three-straight wins to take the match, 6-1, 6-4. Kessler finished her season with a 12-1 mark in SEC play, including a 16-4 mark in dual singles play. In doubles, Kessler boasted a 13-4 record in dual matches. She boasts a total of 174 career victories, the 37th-best number in Florida history.
Dudeney was once again crucial for the Gators victory over No. 23 South Carolina, picking up a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon. Alongside partner Kessler, Dudeney picked-up her second-consecutive ranked win in doubles competition, using a dominant performance against No. 35 Sarah Hamner and Megan Davies to win, 6-2. The freshman is now a strong 12-4 in dual match doubles on the year and 26-10 overall. All eyes fell on court three for the match deciding point, where Dudeney would have to comeback against one of the most veteran players on South Carolina's roster, Megan Davies. With Dudeney and Davies exchanging punches early, the South Carolina Gamecock would outlast Dudeney in a tight opening set, 7-5. That would not deter Dudeney, however, as the United Kingdom native recovered with a strong 6-3 effort in the second set. With the double-bye in the SEC Tournament on the line, Dudeney put together an elite effort in the final frame. The freshman raced out to a 5-0 lead before Davies managed to take back-to-back games to pull within 5-2. Once again, Dudeney flipped the script on her opponent, dominating the final game to secure the match and Florida's 10th SEC victory, 6-2. Like doubles, Dudeney boasts a 12-4 clip in singles competition during the dual match season, including a 7-3 SEC record and 24-9 overall mark.
ITA RANKINGS
In the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings, the Gators moved to No. 15 in the country while also moving to No. 15 in the United States Tennis Association rankings. Individually, two Gators find themselves ranked including:
McCartney Kessler – No. 11
Marlee Zein – No. 72
On the doubles side, the top two doubles teams for Florida sit in the top-50 nationally, while the new paring of Alicia Dudeney and Kessler also appear in the rankings:
Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein – No. 12
Alicia Dudeney/McCartney Kessler – No. 28
Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee – No. 50
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Friday's quarterfinal round can be viewed online at FloridaGators.com while the semifinal round on Saturday will be streamed on SEC Network+. The championship match on Sunday afternoon will be aired live on SEC Network.
PARKING AND WEATHER REPORT
Parking for the SEC Tournament can be found in the green lot next to the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, with overflow parking available in front of the track and field stadium. For the remainder of the tournament, ample sunshine and temperatures in the 80s are set to hold in Gainesville.
AT THE SEC TOURNAMENT
Historically, Florida is strong at the SEC Tournament. The Gators (18-5, 10-3 SEC) boast a 78-13 mark at the tournament, including an impressive 31-2 mark in the quarterfinal round. When advancing to the semifinal round, Florida holds a 27-4 mark and, in the 27 tournament championship appearances, UF is 20-7. Overall, the Orange & Blue have made the semifinal round or better 31 times.
HOSTING THE 'SHIPS
The 2022 season marks the third time in program history that Florida has hosted the SEC Tournament in Gainesville. Up to this point, Florida holds a perfect 6-0 record at home for the championships, including a perfect three-match stretch of 4-0 victories in 2006 (defeating Kentucky for the title) and a near-perfect outing in 1996, defeating Vanderbilt, 6-0, for the trophy.
AGAINST THE FIELD – SEC TOURNAMENT EDITION
Alabama – 4-0, UF
Arkansas – 3-0, UF
Auburn – 4-0, UF
Georgia – 12-6, UF
Kentucky – 7-0, UF
LSU – 7-0, UF
Ole Miss – 10-1, UF
Mississippi State – 2-0, UF
South Carolina – 8-2, UF
Tennessee – 8-0, UF
Texas A&M – 1-1, Tie
Vanderbilt – 12-3, UF
IN THE REGULAR SEASON
During the regular season, the Gators and Razorbacks met in Fayetteville, Ark., with Arkansas (16-8, 8-5 SEC) ranked No. 36 in the country. In a close battle, Florida managed to hold off the opposition for a 4-3 victory, picking up victories from McCartney Kessler, Alicia Dudeney, Marlee Zein and Carly Briggs after dropping the doubles point.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Brooke Austin (2015, 16)
Marrit Boonstra (2010)
Anna Danilina (2017, 18)
Lauren Embree (2012, 13)
Olivia Janowicz (2011, 2013)
McCartney Kessler (2018)
Kourtney Keegan (2017)
Joanna Mather (2012)
Brianna Morgan (2016)
Allie Will (2010, 11)
TOURNAMENT MVP
2000 - Baili Camino, Florida
2002 - Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida
2003 - Jennifer Magley, Florida
2004 - Julie Rotondi, Florida
2005 - Zerene Reyes, Florida
2006 - Diana Srebrovic, Florida
2010 – Marrit Boonstra, Florida
2011 – Allie Will, Florida
2012 – Joanna Mather, Florida
2013 – Olivia Janowicz, Florida
2016 - Brianna Morgan, Florida
WEEKLY SWEEP
McCartney Kessler and Alicia Dudeney swept the final SEC weekly awards of the season. Kessler, earning her first SEC Player of the Week award, came up big for the Gators in a dramatic regular season finale to claim the fourth seed in the SEC Tournament. Needing a victory over No. 23 South Carolina to clinch the double-bye, No. 66 Dudeney and Kessler were dominant in doubles, earning their second-straight ranked win as a pair. The Florida squad gained the lead at 2-1 early in the match, and they never looked back, taking down the No. 35 Sarah Hamner and Megan Davies to give UF an early advantage in doubles play. In the premiere match of the weekend, No. 12 Kessler matched up with No. 5 Sarah Hamner at the top singles position. Kessler did not disappoint. The graduate enforced her will in the opening set en route to a 6-1 opening frame victory. Hamner, a top-five player in the nation for a reason, responded in the second set, opening up a 4-3 lead over the UF graduate midway through the second. Kessler remained composed to record three-straight wins to take the match, 6-1, 6-4. Kessler finished her season with a 12-1 mark in SEC play, including a 16-4 mark in dual singles play. In doubles, Kessler boasted a 13-4 record in dual matches. She boasts a total of 174 career victories, the 37th-best number in Florida history.
Dudeney was once again crucial for the Gators victory over No. 23 South Carolina, picking up a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon. Alongside partner Kessler, Dudeney picked-up her second-consecutive ranked win in doubles competition, using a dominant performance against No. 35 Sarah Hamner and Megan Davies to win, 6-2. The freshman is now a strong 12-4 in dual match doubles on the year and 26-10 overall. All eyes fell on court three for the match deciding point, where Dudeney would have to comeback against one of the most veteran players on South Carolina's roster, Megan Davies. With Dudeney and Davies exchanging punches early, the South Carolina Gamecock would outlast Dudeney in a tight opening set, 7-5. That would not deter Dudeney, however, as the United Kingdom native recovered with a strong 6-3 effort in the second set. With the double-bye in the SEC Tournament on the line, Dudeney put together an elite effort in the final frame. The freshman raced out to a 5-0 lead before Davies managed to take back-to-back games to pull within 5-2. Once again, Dudeney flipped the script on her opponent, dominating the final game to secure the match and Florida's 10th SEC victory, 6-2. Like doubles, Dudeney boasts a 12-4 clip in singles competition during the dual match season, including a 7-3 SEC record and 24-9 overall mark.
ITA RANKINGS
In the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings, the Gators moved to No. 15 in the country while also moving to No. 15 in the United States Tennis Association rankings. Individually, two Gators find themselves ranked including:
McCartney Kessler – No. 11
Marlee Zein – No. 72
On the doubles side, the top two doubles teams for Florida sit in the top-50 nationally, while the new paring of Alicia Dudeney and Kessler also appear in the rankings:
Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein – No. 12
Alicia Dudeney/McCartney Kessler – No. 28
Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee – No. 50
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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