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The No. 19 Florida Gators women’s tennis team (9-4) bounced back from a tough loss and defeated No. 3 Michigan (11-3) 4-1 Wednesday afternoon. The victory was the program’s first top three win since a 4-1 victory over No.2 Ohio State in 2017.
FIRST TOP-3 WIN SINCE 2017 FEELS PRETTY GOOD!
Presented by @WellsFargo | #GoGators🐊🎾 pic.twitter.com/vEppUO4t8w
— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) March 22, 2023
Dominance in Doubles
The Gators came ready to play and looked like a top-ranked team themselves against a very strong Wolverines team. On court one, Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee didn’t back down against the No. 2 ranked doubles pair in the country. The pair converted an early break point followed by a second break at 4-2 and held serve to close out the set at 6-2.
https://twitter.com/GatorsWTN/status/1638625755696341012?s=20
After falling on court two, the Gators would need a win on court three to clinch the doubles point. The pair of Emily De Olivera and Sophie Williams won four consecutive games after starting the match 2-2. They remain undefeated together as a doubles tandem.
Emily & Soph grab the 1-0 lead for the Gators with a 6-2 win over Cerdan/Kelly‼️
UF 1, UM 0#GoGators 🐊🎾 pic.twitter.com/7UPEccPVOQ
— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) March 22, 2023
Energy in Singles
The Gators carried the momentum from doubles right into singles play. No. 42 Sara Dahlstrom continued her impressive play at the No. 1 singles position. Playing her third consecutive top-50 opponent, the junior capitalized on multiple break points in the match. Dahlstrom dispatched No. 47 Kari Miller 6-2, 6-2.
Singles update:
Back-to-back top-50 dubs for Sara!
✅ #42 Sara Dahlstrom, 6-2, 6-2
2️⃣ #45 Carly Briggs ⬇️ 6-7 (0), 4-1
3️⃣ Alicia Dudeney ⬆️ 6-1, 6-6
4️⃣ Rachel Gailis ⬆️ 6-4, 5-5
5️⃣ Emily De Oliveira ⬆️ 6-3, 5-5
6️⃣ Bente Spee ⬇️ 2-6, 5-5UF 2, UM 0#GoGators pic.twitter.com/VI8jesq8Oe
— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) March 22, 2023
Dudeney would also pull out a victory for Florida, her fifth consecutive win without dropping a set. The United Kingdom native took the first set 6-1 against No. 37 Julia Fliegner and won a second set tiebreak for the match.
Singles update:
LISS! 5 straight wins without dropping a set!!
2️⃣ #45 Carly Briggs ⬇️ 6-7 (0), 4-2
✅ Alicia Dudeney, 6-1, 7-6 (2)
4️⃣ Rachel Gailis ⬆️ 6-4, 6-6
5️⃣ Emily De Oliveira ⬆️ 6-3, 6-6
6️⃣ Bente Spee ⬇️ 2-6, 5-6UF 3, UM 0#GoGators pic.twitter.com/5WXnX9ruVk
— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) March 22, 2023
Shortly after, Michigan would grab its first point. Bente Spee was defeated by Andrea Cerdan on court six to put the dual match score at 3-1.
Needing just one point for the victory, Emily De Olivera would come through for Florida. The sophomore would grab a ranked win over No. 118 Gala Mesochoritou in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Singles update:
Emily’s second ranked-win completes the upset!!!
2️⃣ #45 Carly Briggs ⬇️ 6-7 (0), 5-2
4️⃣ Rachel Gailis ⬆️ 6-4, 6-6 (6-2)
✅ Emily De Oliveira, 6-3, 7-6 (4)UF 4, UM 1#GoGators pic.twitter.com/FUucEnUVXw
— Gators Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) March 22, 2023
Next for Florida
The Gators will look to continue the momentum from the victory over Michigan. The orange and blue will hit the road to take on Mississippi State on Friday and Ole Miss on Sunday.
