Freshman Katie Kubicz was on autopilot.
Every shot seemed to be landing perfectly. Her opponent, Arkansas’ Agne Cepelyte, often watched helplessly as the ball flew by her. Kubicz didn’t drop a game until midway through the second set. She sealed her win in just 48 minutes, well ahead of freshman McCartney Kessler’s hour and 24 minute match.
“All my shots were working,” Kubicz said after the match. “I played her in my doubles match, so I had an idea of what I was getting into in singles.”
Kubicz’s dominant victory initiated UF’s win 4-1 against Arkansas (5-12, 1-7 SEC) at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville on Thursday. The win is the Gators’ fourth in a row and the team’s eighth in the SEC. Florida now holds a 29-1 record over the Razorbacks in the all-time series.
In doubles play, Arkansas struck first with a 6-3 victory over the duo of Kubicz and senior Peggy Porter. Florida answered when senior Anna Danilina and freshman Victoria Emma won 6-4 on the first court, leaving doubles play in the hands of the No. 2 team in Kessler and senior Josie Kuhlman. It couldn’t get the job done, however, and the Razorbacks won the match 6-4 to clinch the doubles point. Thursday night’s doubles point is the first that Florida has lost in its last three matches.
Down 1-0, the Gators quickly turned it around. Kubicz’s swift victory gave UF its first point, and Porter followed with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over her Arkansas’ Tatum Rice. Eighteen minutes later, Danilina gave Florida its next point, defeating opponent Giulia Pairone 6-4, 6-2. The meet fell into the hands of Kessler, and she delivered, defeating the Razorbacks’ Natshuo Arakawa 6-4, 7-5.
The victory is Kessler’s fourth clinching match in the Gators’ last five wins. While it would appear that Kessler has a penchant for sealing matches, the freshman chalks it up largely to coincidence.
“I just play it by ear,” Kessler said. “I don’t really think about it. It just kind of turns out that my timing is always at the clinching match.”
UF (13-5, 8-1 SEC) will stay in Gainesville to host Missouri on Friday at 11 a.m. before traveling to Lake Nona, Florida, the next day to square off against Texas at 5 p.m.
Follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells and contact him at rwells@alligator.org.
Coach Roland Thornqvist and the Gators have won 10 of their previous 11 matches after Thursday night's victory over Arkansas.
