KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Battling on the last three courts, the No. 17 Florida women’s tennis team’s comeback bid fell short Friday evening, falling 4-1 to No. 15 Tennessee.
The Gators (13-5, 7-3 SEC) entered with a five-match win streak, but fell behind early after dropping the doubles point.
Tennessee (15-4, 8-2 SEC) fired on all cylinders to start the match, winning 6-0 at the three doubles slot and 6-1 on court two. The duo of Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee were climbing out of an early deficit, and were down 4-2 when the early point was clinched.
Freshman Rachel Gailis put Florida on the board in singles, winning 6-3, 6-2 on court four. The victory marked Gailis’ 10th dual single win of the spring, and extends her win streak to four.
The Gators were threatening late in the match. After dropping the first set, Carly Briggs bounced back with a 6-2 second set win, and was leading 3-2 in the third set over No. 24 Rebeka Mertena when the Lady Vols clinched. At No. 1 singles, No. 37 Sara Dahlstrom was looking to force a third set against No. 38 Elza Tomase, and was locked in a 5-5 second set battle when the match ended.
The Lady Vols clinched the win on court three. Daria Kuczer, ranked No. 46 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings, went back and forth with No. 86 Dudeney in the second set. After hanging on until the last serve, Kuczer prevailed with a 6-3, 7-5 victory to seal it for Tennessee.
Florida will quickly turn its attention towards No. 5 Georgia on Sunday in Athens. The Gators and Bulldogs will meet for a 1 p.m. ET first serve.
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