The slow clap that signifies a match point started to grow into applause as Joanna Mather toed the baseline.
She tossed the ball perfectly and unloaded a serve. Her opponent, Olivia Howlett, was able to return it softly, setting Mather up for a punctuating approach shot that sealed the match.
Just like that, her final match at Linder Stadium ended. It was the culmination of a stellar career in Gainesville for Florida’s lone senior.
As the No. 2 Gators (17-1, 10-0 Southeastern Conference) clinched at least a share of the SEC championship, Mather’s coach and teammates took time to recognize her after a great four years.
“Joanna really exemplifies everything we try to stand for as a tennis program. She has a first-class attitude every day in practice, whether she’s playing well or not,” coach Roland Thornqvist said. “She gets along with everyone, and she is classy. When you have a player where you can just tell the rest of the team, ‘Hey, look at what Joanna does,’ you don’t have to spend that much time trying to teach everybody else. They just kind of follow what the leader does.”
Mather, who also won her 100th career doubles match on Sunday, has never been a part of a team loss at Linder Stadium. The Gators have gone a remarkable 52-0 at home during her career, a mark she helped extend Sunday. After UF swept the doubles point, LSU provided little resistance as all six singles matches went Florida’s way.
Mather, who will graduate this spring with a degree in management, has yet to decide what her post-college plans are but said that her time at Florida has exceeded her expectations. Her most memorable moments came during the team’s national championship last year and during a big win against then-No. 2 Georgia in 2009.
“It’s a little sad. It’s scary, but it’s also exciting too. It doesn’t feel like it’s been four years,” she said. “The national title was definitely a big memory. My freshman year when we beat the No. 2 team in the nation, Georgia, here. It was a huge upset and that was an amazing memory.
“Just being out here with my teammates and working hard, also great memories. It’s been everything and more that I imagined it to be. I’m so thankful that I chose to come to Florida.”
One of Mather’s closest friends also happens to be her doubles partner. Junior Lauren Embree provided the other half of a team that defeated Howlett and Yvette Vlaar 8-2.
Embree, who will assume next year the role of senior leader along with fellow juniors Allie Will and Caroline Hitimana, said that Mather was everything a team could want in a teammate.
“She’s just an amazing person,” Embree said. “She always lifts up the spirit in the locker room, she’s always in a good mood, and she always comes out here and gives 100 percent every day. She’s going to be a huge loss for us and we’re all going to miss her, but we’re really grateful to have her on our team this year.”
Men lose to Tigers: The No. 9 Gators couldn’t overcome a slow start and broke a four-match winning streak, losing 4-2 to LSU. Florida (13-8, 6-4 SEC) hadn’t lost since March 23rd, when they fell 4-3 to Mississippi State.
Sunday saw a comeback effort fall short, as the Gators fell into a 3-0 hole early. After losing the doubles point, both of Florida’s top two singles players lost their matches. While trying to fight back into the match, the Tigers clinched when Tom Knight defeated Billy Federhofer in a decisive third set.
Florida’s lone victors were Spencer Newman, who won in straight sets, and Florent Diep, who won in three sets.
