Florida Duo Alicia Dudeney & Rachel Gailis Earn Regional Championship Title

Atlanta, Ga. – Powerhouse Florida pairing, Rachel Gailis and Alicia Dudeney claimed the Regional title Tuesday morning with a 7-5, 2-6, 10-6 victory over Georgia’s Guillermina Grant and Aysegul Mert. The Regional Championship win automatically grants Dudeney and Gailis a bid into the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

How it Happened:

Georgia came out strong in the Championship match taking an immediate 2-0 lead over the Gators. Gailis and Dudeney found their rhythm in game three, winning it 40-0 before breaking Georgia’s serve to tie it up at 2-2.

 

The Bulldogs pulled ahead winning the next two games to take a 4-2 lead over Florida but Dudeney and Gailis dug deep claiming back-to-back games to tie it at 4-4. The SEC teams were tied up again at 5-5 before the Gators pulled ahead to take the first set 7-5.

 

After dropping the first set, Georgia took their largest lead of the match at 4-1 in the second. Florida attempted to close in on Grant and Mert’s lead but the Georgia duo continued to pull ahead before closing out 6-2.

 

With one set apiece in the Regional Finals, the title would be determined by a 10-point tiebreaker. Gailis and Dudeney knew what was on the line and immediately took off, garnering as high as a seven-point lead over the Bulldogs. At 9-2, Florida had seven match points but Georgia kept the pressure and won four points in a row to close the gap. Dudeney and Gailis maintained their composure and ultimately claimed the tiebreaker 10-6 to defeat Georgia 7-5, 2-6, 10-6 for the Regional Championship title.

Final Championship Results:

Doubles:

Rachel Gailis/Alicia Dudeney (Florida) def. Guillermina Grant/Aysegul Mert (UGA) 7-5, 2-6, 10-6

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