No. 23 Florida Women’s Tennis Returns Home for Conference Battle Against Kentucky

After splitting their two SEC matches last week, the No. 23 Florida women’s tennis team (8-3, 3-2) returns to Gainesville to face Kentucky (8-6, 0-5) Thursday evening. The Gators, who dropped a 4-0 decision to then-No. 4 LSU before defeating No. 30 Ole Miss 4-1, look to regain momentum in conference play against the Wildcats.

Florida continues to hold its place in the national rankings and brings strong individual talent into the matchup. The Gators have five nationally ranked singles players in Gabia Paskauskas (No. 26), Nikola Daubnerova (No. 72), Valery Gynina (No. 76), Lucie Pawlak (No. 88) and India Houghton (No. 103), while Daubnerova and Xinyi Nong are ranked No. 19 in doubles.

Houghton, the California native, is coming off an especially strong weekend. Playing in the number one singles position, she earned the first win of her career in that spot by defeating Ole Miss’s Emily Welker in straight sets. Freshman Brooke Black has also been a steady presence for Florida, posting a 4-0 record in SEC play at the No. 4 singles line.

As for the opponent, Kentucky enters Thursday’s outing still searching for its first conference win this year. The Wildcats opened the season well outside league play, but have dropped their first five SEC matches. But, Kentucky has been competitive, including narrow 4-3 losses to both Alabama and Arkansas.

The Wildcats are led by Julia Zhu and Zoe Hammond, who have each spent time in the number one and two singles slots this spring. Hammond has put together a strong dual-match record, while Zhu has also been productive both overall and in conference action. Kentucky has also continued to adjust their doubles combinations multiple times during SEC play as they look for a breakthrough on that front.

The match is set for Thursday, March 12 at 5 p.m. EST at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville.

Category: Gators Tennis