The 15th-ranked Florida Gators downed the fifth-ranked Tennessee
Volunteers, 7-0, Friday night in what was both team’s regular SEC opener. UF
(7-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) swept all three doubles matches and was
victorious in straight-sets in five of the six singles matches on its way to
snapping Tennessee’s (9-4, 0-1) four-match win streak.
The 49th-ranked Alexandra Cercone guaranteed a Florida
victory after downing Sara Toti, 6-3, 6-2. Joanna Mather, ranked 18th individually,
defeated Caityn Williams, 6-2, 6-2, on court three while Lauren Embree,
ranked 23rd, defeated Kata Szekely, ranked 37th, 6-2, 6-3, on court two.
On court six, Olivia Janowicz provided Florida with its
first singles point after her 6-2, 6-0, victory over Jesse Grace. Janowicz’s
win was quickly followed by a Sofie Oyen triumph over Joanna Henderson,
6-0, 6-2, on court five.
Junior Allie Will, who is ranked No. 1 nationally in
singles, defeated 35th-ranked Brynn Boren, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6) to finish play
at Barksdale Stadium.
Playing No. 1 doubles and ranked 13 nationally in doubles, Oyen
and Will beat the No. 9 duo of Natalie Pluskota and Williams, 8-4, to win the
doubles point for the Gators.
Facing 10th-ranked Boren and Toti, Embreee and Mather, ranked 31st,
snapped the Lady Vol duo’s 15-match winning streak with an 8-2 victory.
Cercone and Janowicz went on to defeat Henderson and Szekely,
8-6, on court three to sweep the doubles matches.
