Gabia Paskauskas delivered when Florida needed her most.
After dominating the first set 6-0 before struggling in the second 5-7, No. 26 Paskauskas responded in the third against Ole Miss’ Brooklyn Olson.
The sophomore took the final set 6-4, securing Florida the match victory.
The No. 23 Florida Gators (7-3, 2-2 SEC) upended No. 30 Ole Miss (6-3, 1-2 SEC) 4-1 Saturday afternoon in Rebel territory.
In doubles, the ball was on the Rebels’ court. Florida’s doubles pairs continued to show the signs of struggle from their last match against Louisiana State.
Florida’s pair of Valery Gynina and Brooke Black opened doubles with a loss to Ole Miss’ Alice Soulie and Emily Welker, 6-4. Despite holding the second-highest win record of the active doubles teams this season, the junior-freshman Gator pair has struggled to find its rhythm over the last two matches on the road.
No. 19 Xinyi Nong and Nikola Daubenrova suffered the second blow for Florida. They struggled against No. 85 Andrea Nova and Emily Welker, ultimately taking a surprising 6-3 loss. The Gator duo has lost their last three matches together, increasing the likelihood of dropping in the ITA rankings.
For a second matchday in a row, the third doubles match was retired, and Ole Miss secured the first point. The Gator duo of India Houghton and Lucie Pawlak held the only hopeful match for Florida, as they tied 5-5 against the Rebels' Brooklyn Olson and Beatrice Stagno before doubles play ended.
In singles, the Gators turned it around and took control of the match. They took the victory on every court against the Rebels en route to victory.
Florida’s No. 103 Houghton first delivered against the No. 12 player in the nation, Emily Welker. The Gator graduate student defeated her 6-3, 6-3, herhighest-ranked win this season.
Similarly, No. 72 Daubnerova swept through her match against Inchino Horikawa. The Gator defeated the Rebel 6-4, 6-2.
On court four, Florida’s freshman Black extended the lead in a challenging match against Andrea Nova. The Gator won the first set tie break 7(7)-6(5) and used that confidence in the second set, going 6-4.
The victory takes Black’s singles win streak to six consecutive matches in her first season at Florida.
With the overall score 3-1, the Gators needed just one more win to secure the victory.
It all came down to the highest-ranked player of the team, No. 26 Paskauskas. After struggling in the second set, she didn't back down against Olson, finishing her in a three-set battle.
Florida returns home next week, hosting Kentucky on Thursday. First serve at the Alfred A. Ring Complex is set for 5 p.m.
Contact Sofia Alamo at salamo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @alamosofiaa.
Sofia Alamo is a Sports Journalism freshman at UF and the university’s Women’s Tennis beat reporter. Her favorite sports are soccer and tennis, and she aspires to be a sports broadcaster in the future.
