Saturday, May 7
Gainesville, Fla.
2 PM
Florida Gators
vs
South Alabama
Gators Set to Open NCAA Tournament on Saturday
Friday, May 6, 2022 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sixteenth-seeded Florida women's tennis is set to open the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon when they welcome South Alabama to Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex for a 2 p.m. ET matchup.
No. 35 Florida State and No. 42 Florida International will open the Gainesville Regional at 11 a.m. ET in Linder Stadium. The winner of both matches will advance to the second round at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. All matches will be streamed live on the TennisOne App.
PARKING AND WEATHER REPORT
There will be no restrictions on parking around the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex this weekend. The weather calls for sunny skies on both Saturday and Sunday with temperatures in the high 80s. In the event of rain or thunderstorms, matches may be moved indoors. If matches are moved indoors, attendance will be limited to first come, first served, beginning with player guest lists.
IN THE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS
Florida proves to be a difficult out in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament each year. In the first round, the Gators are a perfect 22-0 and an impressive 18-4 in the second round. Last season, UF defeated Siena, 4-0 in the first round of the tournament before falling to Southern California in the second round, 4-1. Including the 2022 season, the Gators have hosted the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament 21 times in program history.
NCAA FUN FACTS
- Of the 40 NCAA Tournaments that Florida has been eligible for, the Orange & Blue have made 39 appearances.
- The 2022 NCAA Tournament marks Florida's 35th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Gators have the second most team titles ever with seven, trailing only Stanford, while collecting three national championships in the last decade (2011, 2012, 2017).
- Head coach Roland Thornqvist is just one of two coaches to win multiple NCAA titles (3) and finish in the top-10 of the final ITA rankings at least eight times.
- In 1996, Florida became the only team in NCAA women's tennis history to sweep the team, singles and doubles titles.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
South Alabama
Record: 24-2
ITA Ranking: N/A
Series History: 3-0
NCAA Series History: 1-0
Florida State
Record: 14-10
ITA Ranking: 35
Series History: 58-5
NCAA Series History: 2-1
Florida International
Record: 17-4
ITA Ranking: 42
Series History: 9-0
NCAA Series History: 1-0
NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS
Florida women's tennis athletes McCartney Kessler, Carly Briggs and Marlee Zein have been selected to compete in the upcoming NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships. Kessler will compete in singles competition while Briggs and Zein will pair up for doubles play.
The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-28 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Illinois, after the conclusion of the team championship, which runs from May 20-22. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will serve as host.
ITA RANKINGS
In the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings, the Gators came in at No. 15 in the country while also moving to No. 17 in the United States Tennis Association rankings. Individually, two Gators find themselves ranked including:
McCartney Kessler – No. 12
Marlee Zein – No. 81
On the doubles side, three doubles teams for Florida sit in the top-50 nationally:
Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein – No. 23
Alicia Dudeney/McCartney Kessler – No. 26
Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee – No. 46
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
No. 35 Florida State and No. 42 Florida International will open the Gainesville Regional at 11 a.m. ET in Linder Stadium. The winner of both matches will advance to the second round at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. All matches will be streamed live on the TennisOne App.
PARKING AND WEATHER REPORT
There will be no restrictions on parking around the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex this weekend. The weather calls for sunny skies on both Saturday and Sunday with temperatures in the high 80s. In the event of rain or thunderstorms, matches may be moved indoors. If matches are moved indoors, attendance will be limited to first come, first served, beginning with player guest lists.
IN THE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS
Florida proves to be a difficult out in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament each year. In the first round, the Gators are a perfect 22-0 and an impressive 18-4 in the second round. Last season, UF defeated Siena, 4-0 in the first round of the tournament before falling to Southern California in the second round, 4-1. Including the 2022 season, the Gators have hosted the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament 21 times in program history.
NCAA FUN FACTS
- Of the 40 NCAA Tournaments that Florida has been eligible for, the Orange & Blue have made 39 appearances.
- The 2022 NCAA Tournament marks Florida's 35th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Gators have the second most team titles ever with seven, trailing only Stanford, while collecting three national championships in the last decade (2011, 2012, 2017).
- Head coach Roland Thornqvist is just one of two coaches to win multiple NCAA titles (3) and finish in the top-10 of the final ITA rankings at least eight times.
- In 1996, Florida became the only team in NCAA women's tennis history to sweep the team, singles and doubles titles.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
South Alabama
Record: 24-2
ITA Ranking: N/A
Series History: 3-0
NCAA Series History: 1-0
Florida State
Record: 14-10
ITA Ranking: 35
Series History: 58-5
NCAA Series History: 2-1
Florida International
Record: 17-4
ITA Ranking: 42
Series History: 9-0
NCAA Series History: 1-0
NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS
Florida women's tennis athletes McCartney Kessler, Carly Briggs and Marlee Zein have been selected to compete in the upcoming NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships. Kessler will compete in singles competition while Briggs and Zein will pair up for doubles play.
The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-28 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Illinois, after the conclusion of the team championship, which runs from May 20-22. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will serve as host.
ITA RANKINGS
In the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings, the Gators came in at No. 15 in the country while also moving to No. 17 in the United States Tennis Association rankings. Individually, two Gators find themselves ranked including:
McCartney Kessler – No. 12
Marlee Zein – No. 81
On the doubles side, three doubles teams for Florida sit in the top-50 nationally:
Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein – No. 23
Alicia Dudeney/McCartney Kessler – No. 26
Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee – No. 46
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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