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More than two hours into her match, Lauren Embree looked
tired.
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The sophomore standout had already sweat through one orange Gators
tank top, and her gray t-shirt was drenched.
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But even after Florida clinched a win against Georgia at Linder
Stadium Friday night, Embree grinded out a third-set
super-tiebreaker win over Chelsey Gullickson, the defending NCAA
singles champion.
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Gullickson, ranked No. 25, gave UF's star a tough time in the
second set before Embree, ranked No. 33, came out firing in the
tiebreaker.
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"I'm a competitive person, so whether we've clinched or not, it's
still the same to me," Embree said.
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still want to win just as much. It's always a great feeling when
we've already clinched. So I kind of just relaxed ... and thought,
'There's only about 15 minutes left, why not give it my all?'"
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Embree's win, her 17th consecutive singles victory, was impressive
but not essential for No. 2 Florida. The Gators thrashed the No. 6
Bulldogs with a 6-1 rout in their most anticipated conference match
of the season.
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was telling all my friends and family to try to come out because we
knew this would be our toughest match in the SEC season," freshman
Alex Cercone said. "I was trying to get as many people as we could
out here."
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Fans responded Friday night, as Florida (20-1, 9-0 Southeastern
Conference) had its largest crowd of the season. The UF supporters
were treated to an impressive win over the Bulldogs (14-2, 8-1),
who were previously undefeated in conference play.
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The win was the 100th consecutive regular-season home victory for
the Gators, a streak dating back to April 2002.
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"That's a reflection of a history of good players here," coach
Roland Thornqvist said. "The streak comes from a lot of talent but
also a lot of hard work."
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"It's amazing [to be part of the 100th win]," sophomore Allie Will
said. "Being coached by Roland and Dave [Balogh, assistant coach]
is amazing and they deserve all those wins."
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The final score wasn't indicative to the competitiveness of most
matches, as only freshman Sofie Oyen won in straight sets.
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But at the end of the match, Florida was excited not only about the
win over its biggest rival, but for the chance to play No. 16
Tennessee on Sunday for at least a share of the SEC regular-season
title.
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"We're going to sleep really well tonight, then we're going to
practice like five minutes tomorrow," Thornqvist said laughing.