Gators Stumble Late in 4-3 Heartbreaker at Kentucky

Sunday, April 6

Lexington, KY

1 PM

Florida Gators

University of Kentucky

Despite UF's team loss at Kentucky, senior Alicia Dudeney claimed a win on court two, extending her current win streak to seven.

Gators Stumble Late in 4-3 Heartbreaker at Kentucky

Sunday, April 6, 2025 | Women's Tennis

Box Score Final Results

By: Meg Christenson

LEXINGTON, Ky.– The No. 34 Florida Gators suffered a tough 4-3 road loss to No. 46 Kentucky on Sunday afternoon. UF dropped to the Wildcats after a late surge in singles play for UK. Florida now stands at 8-11 overall and 4-9 in conference play.

Doubles Action:
Florida started strong in Wildcats territory, capturing the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. The No. 45-ranked duo of Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee secured a 6-1 victory over Kentucky's No. 80-ranked pair, Ellie Eades and Lizzy Stevens.

Rachel Gailis and Talia Neilson-Gatenby followed up with a 6-3 win over Zoe Hammond and Asuncion Jadue on court two. Gailis and Neilson-Gatenby clinched the doubles point to give Florida an early advantage in Lexington.

Singles Play:
The Gators momentum carried briefly over into singles, with Bente Spee notching Florida's first singles win on court No. 4. Spee defeated Tess Bucher 6-3, 6-2 to increase UF's lead to 2-0, however, Kentucky quickly responded.

Lizzy Stevens rebounded from a first set deficit to take down Neilson-Gatenby 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 on court No. 3. The score then stood at 2-1 in favor of the Gators. Zoe Hammond followed suit for UK, upsetting No. 21 Rachel Gailis 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 at the top line, evening the match at 2-2.

Dudeney, ranked No. 75 in singles, delivered a gritty win at No. 2 over No. 60 Julia Zhu, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, putting the Gators ahead once more at 3-2. The singles victory now extends Dudeney's win streak to an impressive seven matches.

The Wildcats retaliated once more as Ellie Myers overwhelmed Florida's Reagan Parker 6-0, 6-1 to level the match once again at 3-3. The deciding point was then left to court five, where Kentucky's Asuncion Jadue outlasted Noemie Oliveras in a tight two-setter, 7-5, 6-3, sealing the comeback victory for the Wildcats.

FINAL RESULTS:
Final Singles Results:
1. #65 Zoe Hammond (UK) def. #21 Rachel Gailis (UF) 6-2 5-7 6-2
2. #75 Alicia Dudeney (UF) def. #60 Julia Zhu (UK) 6-4 3-6 6-3
3. Lizzy Stevens (UK) def. Talia NeilsonGatenby (UF) 1-6 6-3 6-1
4. Bente Spee (UF) def. Tess Bucher (UK) 6-3 6-2
5. Asuncion Jadue (UK) def. Noemie Oliveras (UF) 7-5 6-3
6. Ellie Myers (UK) def. Reagan Parker (UF) 6-0 6-1
Order of finish: 4,3,1,2,6,5

Final Doubles Results:
1. #45 Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee (UF) def. #80 Ellie Eades/Lizzy Stevens (UK) 6-1
2. Rachel Gailis/Talia Neilson-Gatenby (UF) def. Zoe Hammond/Asuncion Jadue (UK) 6-3
3. Ellie Myers/Julia Zhu (UK) vs. Noemie Oliveras/Reagan Parker (UF) match unfinished 5-3
Order of finish: 1,2

TEAM RECORDS:
No. 34 Florida: 8-11, (4-9 SEC)
No. 46 Kentucky: 10-11, (4-9 SEC)

UP NEXT:
Florida will return home and matchup against No. 10 LSU on Friday evening at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. UF will initiate play against the Tigers at 5 p.m. ET with doubles going out first.

No. 10 LSU (19-5, 9-4 SEC)