Like he’d done all day, junior Alfredo Perez sent a powerful forehand over the net that his opponent could not handle. One last stretch, but it was out of reach.
When freshman Katie Kubicz’s final shot went just a little too wide, the Florida Gators NCAA Tournament run sailed away with it.
The Florida Gators stepped onto a blazing court that registered up to 100 degrees and into their 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Only when senior Peggy Porter swung her racket a final time in her clinching victory did the Gators let up their relentless assault against their first opponent at the NCAA Tournament.
The Florida men’s tennis team fought until the end but lost to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 4-2 in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
With the sky clear and the sun beating down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Florida men’s tennis team bested Vanderbilt 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament.
During its national championship run in 2017, the Florida women’s tennis team lost to Vanderbilt in both the final match of the regular season and the final match of the SEC Tournament, but it did beat the Commodores during the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Last year, Florida’s women’s tennis team fell to Vanderbilt in the championship match of the SEC tournament. This year, it was more of the same.
In Florida’s match against Arkansas on Saturday, one could not spell “clincher” without senior Josie Kuhlman.
Last Saturday, senior Peggy Porter could only watch helplessly as she lost the decisive singles match in Florida’s 4-3 defeat against Vanderbilt to end the regular season.
The Florida Gators women’s tennis team is feeling major déjà vu.
As fans filed out of the Ring Tennis Complex on Friday for the last time this season, senior Chase Perez-Blanco, along with fellow seniors Jordan Belga and Josh Wardell, stayed on the court.
Florida senior Peggy Porter saw a 3-1 lead slip away in her second set against opponent Summer Dvorak on Saturday at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville. When the fate of the SEC regular season championship rested in her hands and she was up 4-1 in the third set, she was determined not to let it happen again.
Senior Chase Perez-Blanco held back tears after the Gators’ final regular season match as he reflected on his career at the University of Florida.
When the ball popped into the air, senior Anna Danilina began a backwards gallop. She raised her racket as high as her arm would allow and spiked the ball across the center of the court. Her opponent, Kentucky’s Emily Fanning, could only watch helplessly.
With their victory against South Carolina last Saturday, the SEC race has found itself in a three-way tie.
The No. 9 Florida men’s tennis team swept the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Sunday 7-0 to give coach Bryan Shelton his 100th win at UF.
When senior Josie Kuhlman clinched the match and sealed a road victory over No. 5 South Carolina, she didn’t jump, scream or shout.
The No. 9 Florida men’s tennis team lost to No. 5 Texas A&M 6-1 in College Station on Friday.
With three matches left in the regular season, the Florida women’s tennis team (14-6, 9-1 SEC) is second in the SEC standings. Right below it is Vanderbilt (16-3, 8-1 SEC) and Georgia (12-5, 7-3 SEC), two teams that have defeated Florida this year.
Solutions by The State News
