GAINESVILLE, FL. – No.16 Florida had an impressive performance against No.13 Auburn at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex on Friday evening. The 4-1 victory marks Florida's second consecutive win of conference action after defeating Tennessee last Sunday 5-2.
 
The first win of the day came from duo Rachel Gailis and Bente Spee as they left Auburn's Adeline Flach and Ali Despain scoreless with a 6-0 win. Qavia Lopez and Carly Briggs followed defeating Selin Ovunc and Carolyn Ansari 6-3. The pair took a minute to warmup and were down 2-0 to start the match before rallying to clinch the doubles point for Florida and moving the Gators to a 1-0 advantage ahead of singles action.
 
Malwina Rowinska and Alicia Dudeney's faced Auburn's No. 19 DJ Bennett and Ariana Arseneault on court one and were down 5-2 before Florida clinched the doubles point.
 
Florida's momentum from the doubles win was reflected in their fight on the singles side, allowing Auburn to only secure one point. No. 45 Rachel Gailis added to the Gators lead with a win over No.14 Carolyn Ansari. Gailis won in straight sets recording a 6-2 victory in the first and 6-3 win in the second. Rachel's win over No. 14 Ansari marks her biggest career win to date.
 
Freshman Malwina Rowinska was next for the Gators and won in straight sets, defeating Ali Despain 6-3,6-3. Rowinska extended Florida's lead to 3-0.
 
On Court 3, No.79 Carly Briggs saw a tough opponent in No. 64 DJ Bennett. Bennett came out on top 6-4 in the first set, but Briggs rallied back, breaking Bennett's rhythm to claim a 6-1 victory in the second. Despite the hard-fought effort from Briggs's, Bennett secured the third set 6-1 to put Auburn on the board, trailing 3-1.
 
Qavia Lopez secured the Gators victory on court five defeating Adeline Flach in a thrilling three set match. Lopez dropped the first set 6-3, but reacted positively to take the second 6-3 and force a third set. Lopez was able to snag the win after several match points with a 6-3 victory in the final set and finalize Florida's 4-1 victory over Auburn.
 
Alicia Dudeney was ahead 2-0 in the third set after taking the first set 6-4, and falling in the second 4-6 against Selin Ovunc. Sara Dahlstrom was also left unfinished, and was tied up against Ariana Arseneault 6-2, 1-6, 4-4.
 
RACHEL GAILIS ON DEFEATING THE 14^TH RANKED PLAYER IN THE NATION:
" I think the biggest thing mindset wise was the doubles point and that momentum really carried. Bente and I did a great job but so did line two, and that aggression carried and I think it brought down Auburn as well. So, pushing in my first set and stepping on the gas when they were already down was the biggest part. I think all of us did a great job with that. I also think my game matched well against Ansari, and I used every part of my game, the variety I have, and just fought as hard as I could have and it worked out for me in the end and for the Gators."
 
Singles: (order of finish 1,6,3,5)
1. Rachel Gailis (UF) def. Carolyn Ansari (AUB) 6-2,6-3
2. Sara Dahlstrom (UF) vs. Ariana Arseneault (AUB) 6-2,1-6,4-4, unfinished
3. DJ Bennett (AUB) def. Carly Briggs (UF) 6-4,1-6, 6-1
4. Alicia Dudeney (UF) vs. Selin Ovunc (AUB) 6-4, 4-6, 2-0, unfinished
5. Qavia Lopez (UF) def. Adeline Flach (AUB) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
6. Malwina Rowinska (UF) def. Ali Despain (AUB) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles: (order of finish 3,2)
1. DJ Bennett / Ariana Arseneault (AUB) vs. Malwina Rowinska / Alicia Dudeney [ (UF) 5-2, unfinished
2. Qavia Lopez / Carly Briggs (UF) vs. Selin Ovunc / Carolyn Ansari (AUB) 6-3
3. Rachel Gailis / Bente Spee (UF) def. Adeline Flach / Ali Despain (AUB) 6-0
 
NEXT UP:
The Gators will host No.17 Alabama on Sunday at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. The Crimson Tide moved to a 4-1 conference record after falling to No.19 South Carolina 4-3 on Friday afternoon.
 
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