Rachel Gailis and Carly Briggs Ready for Monday’s NCAA First Round in Oklahoma

STILLWATER, Okla. – Florida’s No. 8 Rachel Gailis and No. 56 Carly Briggs are set to compete on Monday afternoon in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships. The Division I Women’s Tennis Subcommittee selected the singles field earlier this month, handing out 64 bids with Briggs and Gailis being among the elite athletes slated.

Both No. 8 Rachel Gailis and No. 56 Carly Briggs were at-large selections alongside 50 other players. The final 12 student-athletes in the singles bracket received an automatic qualification bid.

Carly Briggs will initiate play for the Gators in Oklahoma with a 2 p.m. ET matchup against No. 116 Sofia Johnson of Old Dominion. Johnson currently holds a 20-10 record this year, going 13-5 in dual matches. Her most recent victory was over fellow SEC player No. 19 Sarah Hamner in the 2024 NCAA Team Tournament.

 

Carly Briggs had an incredible season for the Gators and finished on a nine-match win streak. Her most recent win was against No. 22 Miami’s Leonie Schuknecht, defeating her 6-2, 6-0. Briggs has now tallied 13 straight set wins in singles this season and will look to extend her individual success in Oklahoma.

Rachel Gailis holds a 2:30 p.m. ET time slot in round one and will face off against No. 37 Julia Garcia Ruiz from Oklahoma. Garcia Ruiz went 25-7 this season with a 18-3 dual record. Garcia Ruiz tallied an impressive eight victories over nationally ranked players and secured nine wins on court one for the Sooners.

 

Rachel Gailis has been a huge factor for Florida this season, holding down court one in singles. Gailis is ranked in the nation’s top-10 entering the NCAA singles tournament and has defeated seven nationally ranked players as a sophomore. Gailis’ biggest career win was over then-ranked No. 7 Ayana Akli of South Carolina, coming out unscathed in straight sets.

 

All matches shall be the best-of-three sets. No-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker (first to seven points, must win by two points) at six-games-all will be used for all matches.

 

GATORS HISTORY IN NCAA SINGLES TOURNAMENT:

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