ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 4 Florida women’s tennis team captured its 24th Southeastern Conference regular-season championship Sunday with a 6-1 victory over No. 14 Georgia at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
The victory over the Lady Bulldogs (11-5, 8-2 SEC) assured the fourth-ranked Gators (20-2, 10-0 SEC) the overall title for the 24th time in the 31 years the league has sponsored women’s tennis. Florida’s last SEC championship came in 2008, which marked the program’s 17th time it has posted an undefeated league record (11-0). Florida hopes to make that 18 when it visits No. 15 South Carolina next Saturday.
“We played super today,” Florida head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “Winning the SEC Championship has been one of our goals all year. We’ll take a few days and enjoy this, but we certainly won’t let down because we have to play well on the road next week to close out the regular season. If we continue to play and compete the way we did today, we’ll be a very tough team to beat.”
Following Saturday’s match at South Carolina, the Gators will return to Athens for the SEC Tournament April 22-25.
As they had done 20 times in their previous 21 matches, the Gators won the doubles point, this time with a 3-0 sweep. It was only the fifth time this season that Georgia dropped a doubles point.
Florida’s No. 2 team of Lauren Embree and Joanna Mather got things started with an 8-5 victory over Yvette Hyndman and Cameron Ellis. Then the fifth-ranked team of Marrit Boonstra and Allie Will clinched the doubles point with an 8-6 victory over Georgia’s 10th-ranked team of Chelsey Gullickson and Nadia Gilchrist. For good measure, Florida’s No. 3 doubles team of Caroline Hitimana and Anastasia Revzina then downed Naoko Ueshima and Lara Fakhoury, 8-3.
Florida took the momentum from the doubles play to the singles courts and Revzina scored the first singles point with her 6-0, 6-0 victory over Ueshima at No. 4.
“Anastasia’s play was one of the highlights of the day,” Thornqvist said. “She beat a player who has haunted us throughout the years and was able to do so in quick fashion to give us a 2-0 lead.”
Will, a freshman ranked ninth nationally, then won her 19th straight singles match, taking down No. 29-ranked Gilchrist 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 singles for a 3-0 Florida lead. Will is now 39-3 in singles play this season, including 19-0 in dual matches.
Freshman Embree, ranked 14th in the country, provided the match-clinching point with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over 10th-ranked Gullickson at No. 1 singles. It was Embree’s 12th straight singles victory and her 22nd over a nationally ranked opponent. She is now 27-5 overall this season.
“Overall, we had the best body language and composure on the court that we’ve had all year,” Thornqvist added. “We looked very professional and that was a big key in securing a tough victory. Not only winning the SEC championship, but the way we did it today was extraordinary.”
Another freshman, Caroline Hitimana, gave Florida a 5-0 lead with a 6-0, 6-4 victory at No. 6 singles against Lara Fakhoury. Boonstra made it 6-0 Florida with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Hyndman at No. 3 singles.
In another hard-fought match, Georgia averted the shutout when Cameron Ellis scored a 7-6 (8-4), 3-6, 1-0 (10-8) victory over sophomore Mather at the No. 5 spot.
No. 4 FLORIDA 6, No. 14 GEORGIA 1
At Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Athens, Ga.
DOUBLES
1. (5) Marrit Boonstra-Allie Will (F) def. (10) Chelsey Gullickson-Nadia Gilchrist, 8-6; 2. Lauren Embree-Joanna Mather (F) def. Yvette Hyndman-Cameron Ellis, 8-5; 3. Caroline Hitimana-Anastasia Revzina (F) def. Naoko Ueshima-Lara Fakhoury, 8-3. Order of finish: 2, 1, 3. Florida wins doubles point, 3-0.
SINGLES
1. (14) Lauren Embree (F) def. (10) Chelsey Gullickson, 7-5, 6-4; 2. (9) Allie Will (F) def. (29) Nadja Gilchrist, 6-3, 6-3; 3. (79) Marrit Boonstra (F) def. Yvette Hyndman, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2; 4. Anastasia Revzina (F) def. Naoko Ueshima, 6-0, 6-0; 5. Cameron Ellis (G) def. Joanna Mather, 7-6 (8-4), 3-6, 1-0 (10-8); 6. Caroline Hitimana (F) def. Lara Fakhoury, 6-0, 6-4. Order of finish: 4, 2, 1, 6, 3, 5.
Records: Florida 20-2, 10-0 SEC; Georgia 12-6, 8-2 SEC.