Carly Briggs (left) and Marlee Zein (right) found themselves in a close battle on Tuesday evening. (Photo by Ricky Bassman)
Gators Put Forth Strong Efforts, but End Season at NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 | Women's Tennis
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Florida women's tennis season came to a close on Tuesday afternoon after strong efforts from McCartney Kessler and the doubles tandem of Carly Briggs and Marlee Zein fell short on day two of the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships.
For the second-straight day, No. 12 McCartney Kessler put together and impressive start to the match, opening up a 2-0 lead in the first set over No. 26 Connie Ma of Stanford. Ma put together a response in the next game, forcing a deciding point in game three to get her on the board for the first time on Tuesday. The pair would split the following two games before Kessler managed to break Ma to claim a 5-2 lead. With her back against the wall, Ma flipped a switch, reeling-off five-consecutive games to steal the opening set from Kessler, 7-5.
In similar fashion to the opening frame, Kessler jumped out to a 2-0 advantage to begin set two before Ma picked-off three matches in-a-row to take the lead, 3-2. The Calhoun, Ga., native put a stop Ma's momentum, winning the next game to once again tie the set. Ma, a member of Stanford's PAC-12 championship team, pushed her lead back to 5-3 late in the set and never looked back, holding on for the 6-4 set and match victory.
Kessler ends her career as one of the best to ever wear the Orange & Blue. With three All-American honors, including her 2022 honor for singles play, Kessler compiled an impressive 181 total victories (106 singles, 75 doubles). Named the 2022 SEC Player of the Year, the graduate earned four All-SEC honors while also being named the 2021 ITA Southeast Region Most Improved Senior last season.
Briggs and Zein were locked in early on Tuesday evening, opening the match in convincing fashion without dropping a point in the first game of the set. After taking the second game, the No. 36 Georgia Tech duo managed to break Zein's serve and keep within striking distance at 2-2. The No. 23 Gators managed to earn some breathing room, breaking the Yellowjackets and taking following two games before Ava Hrastar and Kylie Bilchev once again rose to the challenge to tie the set at four games all. Both squads continued to exchange punches, but it was Georgia Tech who held on for a hard-fought 7-6 (7-2) first set victory.
The second set featured tightly-contested tennis, as neither team was able to pull away, battling to a 3-3 tie midway through the set. The back-and-forth affair continued to 4-4 when Hrastar and Bilchev managed to break the Orange & Blue for the first time of the set, proving the difference maker to defeated UF: 7-6 (2), 6-4.
With the conclusion of day two of the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships, Florida's 2021-22 season has officially concluded. As a team, the Gators ended with a 21-7 record and 10-3 mark in SEC play, advancing to the Super Regional of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
NCAA Singles Championships | Round of 32 | May 24
No. 26 Connie Ma (Stanford) def. No 12 McCartney Kesser: 7-5, 6-4
NCAA Doubles Championships | Round of 32 | May 24
No. 36 Ava Hrastar/Kylie Bilchev def. No. 23 Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein: 7-6 (2), 6-4
NCAA Singles Championships | Round of 64 | May 23
No. 12 McCartney Kessler def. No. 45 Solymar Colling (San Diego): 6-1, 6-1
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For the second-straight day, No. 12 McCartney Kessler put together and impressive start to the match, opening up a 2-0 lead in the first set over No. 26 Connie Ma of Stanford. Ma put together a response in the next game, forcing a deciding point in game three to get her on the board for the first time on Tuesday. The pair would split the following two games before Kessler managed to break Ma to claim a 5-2 lead. With her back against the wall, Ma flipped a switch, reeling-off five-consecutive games to steal the opening set from Kessler, 7-5.
In similar fashion to the opening frame, Kessler jumped out to a 2-0 advantage to begin set two before Ma picked-off three matches in-a-row to take the lead, 3-2. The Calhoun, Ga., native put a stop Ma's momentum, winning the next game to once again tie the set. Ma, a member of Stanford's PAC-12 championship team, pushed her lead back to 5-3 late in the set and never looked back, holding on for the 6-4 set and match victory.
Kessler ends her career as one of the best to ever wear the Orange & Blue. With three All-American honors, including her 2022 honor for singles play, Kessler compiled an impressive 181 total victories (106 singles, 75 doubles). Named the 2022 SEC Player of the Year, the graduate earned four All-SEC honors while also being named the 2021 ITA Southeast Region Most Improved Senior last season.
Briggs and Zein were locked in early on Tuesday evening, opening the match in convincing fashion without dropping a point in the first game of the set. After taking the second game, the No. 36 Georgia Tech duo managed to break Zein's serve and keep within striking distance at 2-2. The No. 23 Gators managed to earn some breathing room, breaking the Yellowjackets and taking following two games before Ava Hrastar and Kylie Bilchev once again rose to the challenge to tie the set at four games all. Both squads continued to exchange punches, but it was Georgia Tech who held on for a hard-fought 7-6 (7-2) first set victory.
The second set featured tightly-contested tennis, as neither team was able to pull away, battling to a 3-3 tie midway through the set. The back-and-forth affair continued to 4-4 when Hrastar and Bilchev managed to break the Orange & Blue for the first time of the set, proving the difference maker to defeated UF: 7-6 (2), 6-4.
With the conclusion of day two of the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships, Florida's 2021-22 season has officially concluded. As a team, the Gators ended with a 21-7 record and 10-3 mark in SEC play, advancing to the Super Regional of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
NCAA Singles Championships | Round of 32 | May 24
No. 26 Connie Ma (Stanford) def. No 12 McCartney Kesser: 7-5, 6-4
NCAA Doubles Championships | Round of 32 | May 24
No. 36 Ava Hrastar/Kylie Bilchev def. No. 23 Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein: 7-6 (2), 6-4
NCAA Singles Championships | Round of 64 | May 23
No. 12 McCartney Kessler def. No. 45 Solymar Colling (San Diego): 6-1, 6-1
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Players Mentioned
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NCAA: Coach Thornqvist & Rachel Gailis 5-4-24
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Roland Thornqvist Postmatch NCAA Second Round 5-6-23
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Roland Thornqvist Postmatch NCAA First Round 5-5-23
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