The Gators women’s tennis team won their second straight NCAA title Tuesday afternoon.
The Gators (27-1) swept UCLA (26-3) 4-0, giving the program its sixth national title. The Gators become the second women’s tennis program to win back-to-back titles, after Stanford.
The Gators took the lead early, winning the doubles point after two matches. The doubles team of Sofie Oyen and Allie Will dominated their UCLA counterparts, winning 8-2. Alexandra Cercone and Caroline Hitimana came back after being down early to win on their court 8-5.
The Gators came out strong in singles action as well. Cercone, who won the decisive contest in the Final Four match Monday, won 6-2, 6-0 in straight sets. She was soon followed by Oyen, who won her match 6-3, 6-2.
On court 2, Lauren Embree clinched the championship for the Gators for the second straight year. Embree won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0 over the Bruins’ McCall Jones. Embree was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year after the match.
This match gives Gators’ head coach Roland Thornqvist his third national championship (2003, 2011, 2012).
