Fifth-year senior McCartney Kessler has the Gators on the cusp of a NCAA Tournament quarterfinals berth. (Photo: Jashari Blige/UAA Communications)
Kessler a Key to Gators' Success
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The memories come alive at times like these. Roland Thornqvist has one.
The veteran UF women's tennis coach, whose team plays at No. 1-seed North Carolina on Friday for a berth in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, isn't ready to say goodbye to Super Senior McCartney Kessler.
He would take a roster of Kessler clones if offered.
"Those kinds of stories, we're really proud of," Thornqvist said. "That's what we're looking to do."
The first memory Thornqvist has of Kessler left a lasting impression. A rising junior player from Calhoun, Ga., at the time, Kessler was playing in a summer amateur tournament at UF. Her first-round opponent that day was Peggy Porter, a few years older than Kessler and a member of the UF team from 2014-18.
"I figured I would go up in the stands to watch,'' Thornqvist said. "It was like July, hotter than blazes. I get up there with a hat and my towel around me. They're playing here on Court 5. One thing that stood out right away was that McCartney was not afraid. She was 13 years old and not afraid at all.
"I just loved it."
Thornqvist was already aware of the tennis-loving Kessler family. McCartney's older brother, McClain Kessler, was soon to join the UF men's team in 2015. Meanwhile, their parents, Julie and Carl Kessler, played tennis at UCF in the 1980s. And McCartney's older sister, Mackenzie, played club tennis at UCF.
The Kessler kids grew up around the game, packed in the car with rackets and balls as Julie and Carl bounced around playing in adult leagues. The clock started to tick toward the day they would go from spectators to players as they got older.
McCartney Kessler anchors the top of the Gators' lineup and was named SEC Player of the Year. (Photo: Sydney Calle/UAA Communications)
McCartney has a memory, too. She considers it a personal highlight during her time with the Gators. Flashback to April 2019, and McCartney, emerging as a future No. 1 player for the Gators, beat Michigan's Giulia Pairone in an upset. The Gators trailed 3-1 before tying the match, leaving the Kessler-Pairone battle as the deciding point.
Kessler rallied for a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory to clinch one of Florida's biggest wins in a period of transition for the program following a run to the national title in 2017.
"It just came down to my match," Kessler said. "They were ranked a lot higher than we were. We had a few losses that we weren't particularly excited about, and it was just really an exciting match to win at home."
As Kessler concludes her college career, she has a chance to add to her collection of highlights. Kessler led FSU's Petra Hule when teammate Sara Dahlstrom won at No. 4 singles to give UF a 4-1 win Sunday. The Gators advanced to the national quarterfinals for the first time since 2017.
Kessler has been a rock at the top of the lineup the past three seasons. She was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and is the No. 12 singles player in the country entering Friday's match against the Tar Heels.
The Gators overcame one hurdle during Kessler's career with their victory over FSU to reach the round of 16. But when Kessler opted to return for a fifth season of eligibility, she had more in mind.
"We had a few tough years that I think weren't really traditional for the program here, so that's the main reason I came back for my fifth year, was to see how well we could do,'' she said. "A team I know can go really far."
The Gators' transformation mirrors Kessler's. She arrived in January 2018 as an early enrollee with a suitcase of talent and that competitive desire Thornqvist first saw years earlier. Still, she had a lot to learn to go from a talented newcomer to SEC Player of the Year.
Thornqvist recalls the challenge she faced. The Gators lost freshman Ingrid Neel following the 2017 season when she unexpectedly turned pro. Coupled with the non-arrival of freshman-to-be Jodie Burrage for the 2018 season – she informed the Gators only days before school started that she also planned to turn professional – Kessler was tossed right into the mix.
"She had to step up. We were sort of scrambling,'' Thornqvist said. "It helped her, and it helped us a lot that she was able to come early. There was no learning curve. She had to put up numbers right away, but that didn't scare her. Some players are intimidated by things like that, but she wants to be a central part."
Kessler has fulfilled that role and more.
She is 18-5 in singles play and reeled off 13 consecutive wins at No. 1 singles – including an 11-0 start in the SEC – to set the tone at the top of the order. The Gators would not be where they are without her.
Kessler committed to Vanderbilt in high school but eventually changed her pledge to the Gators, following in the footsteps of McClain and their maternal grandfather, A.L. "Pat" Driggers, who was a lineman for the UF football team in the 1940s.
"I definitely learned a lot from my brother,'' Kessler said. "He loves the game of tennis. Anyone who has seen him play knows he tries his hardest every time he walks out on the court. I was a little more laid-back. Most of what I learned was from him. Growing up and training, I just was able to follow him and see what he did."
Kessler has also learned plenty from Gators assistant coach Lauren Embree, a three-time SEC Player of the Year who led Florida to back-to-back national titles in 2011 and '12.
"If you are mentioned in the same breath as that one, you are pretty good,'' Thornqvist said.
Embree's presence leads to another memory for Kessler.
When the Gators played at Auburn last season, Kessler relayed to Embree that she remembered playing at a junior tournament at Auburn and watching the Gators and Embree play in the NCAA Tournament.
She was inspired and began to think that that could be her one day. A decade later, Embree has helped Kessler carve out her place in the program's history.
"She has been great,'' Kessler said. "She's been there. She's been in every situation that we play in — her ability to guide us in a way that she is almost out there, too. She can visualize the match. It's pretty cool she's been there, done it."
Thornqvist is grateful Kessler came along and that he watched her play that day, sweating in the sun and covered by a towel.
"She has just improved into a really powerful player,'' Thornqvist said. "She was a counterpuncher when she came in. She can dictate play now against anyone. You watch here play now, and it's completely different than when she arrived."
