The Florida women’s tennis team wrapped up its fall season with an appearance at the NCAA Individual Championships, which kicked off Tuesday in Orlando.
Sophomore Gabia Paskauskas, senior Xinyi Nong and sophomore Nikola Daubnerova represented the Gators at the tournament in the singles and doubles draws.
Paskauskas logged the longest run at the tournament for Florida, falling just short of All-American status.
She defeated Stanford freshman Alyssa Ahn in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, in the first round of the tournament. After advancing to the round of 32, Paskauskas fell to NC State sophomore Mia Slama in straight sets, ending her tournament run.
Nong also competed in the singles draw. The senior faced Clemson junior Ria Bhakta in the first round. Bhakta defeated her in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.
Nong went on to appear in the doubles tournament on Wednesday alongside partner Daubnerova. The pair dropped their first match to Virginia’s Melodie Collard and Vivian Yang on Wednesday, wrapping up the Gators’ time in Orlando.
Despite the early exit, the Gators are expected to start the spring season ranked No. 45.
“We’re proud of what they’ve done already,” said UF head coach Per Nilsson. “Everything we’re doing right now is to set up for the spring.”
Florida will begin the season at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, which will run from Jan. 23-26 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The spring will mark Nilsson’s second season at the helm.
Contact Nicole Lopez at nlopez@alligator.org. Follow her on X @lopeznicole715.
Nicole is a sophomore journalism student and the women's tennis beat reporter for the fall semester. In her free time, she enjoys reading, collecting records and spending time with her friends and family.
