COLUMBIA, S.C. – Florida women’s tennis earned their first Southeastern Conference road win of the 2023 season on Saturday, defeating No. 32 South Carolina, 4-1, at the Carolina Tennis Center.
The No. 21 Gators (7-3, 2-1 SEC) have now won three-straight over the Gamecocks (6-6, 1-2 SEC) and earned their second-consecutive ranked-win of the season after the 4-1 decision.
Hitting the road for the first time this conference season, the Gators opened with a strong showing in doubles competition. The newly-ranked No. 60 duo of Carly Briggs and Rachel Gailis found themselves in a battle early, going back-and-forth to a 3-3 stalemate with Gracie Mulville and Alice Otis. After holding serve to take a 4-3 advantage, the Florida squad broke the Gamecocks to gain a 5-3 edge before taking the 6-3 victory.
Needing one more win to secure the doubles point, Emily De Oliveira and Sophie Williams would deliver for the Orange & Blue. Matched-up against South Carolina’s Ana Cruz and McKenna Schaefbauer, the Gators earned an early break point to claim a 2-1 lead and would never relinquish the advantage, pulling away for the 6-2 win and giving UF a 1-0 match lead.
South Carolina didn’t waste any time in evening the match, however, as No. 7 Ayana Akli was able to take down No. 47 Briggs in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, to tie the match at one. The lead didn’t last long with De Oliveira taking care of business on court six against Cruz. The sophomore found herself in a 3-0 hole in the opening set, but adjusted to win the next six for a 6-3 opening frame win. She continued to…
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