Brianna Morgan led the way for the Gators in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Monday.
The freshman won 6-1, 6-1 in two sets against UNC senior Lauren McHale to help Florida earn a 4-2 victory against No. 1 North Carolina.
“[Monday] was the day we found out that our team had heart,” coach Roland Thornqvist said in a release. “If you want to achieve anything, that’s the No. 1 ingredient.”
Morgan’s victory helped UF tie the score 2-2 midway through singles play, effectively rebounding after losing the doubles point to UNC.
Olivia Janowicz came back from a rocky singles match against Duke’s Marianna Jodoin on Sunday to grab the first point for Florida. Janowicz defeated North Carolina’s Tessa Lyons 6-2, 6-1 in singles.
Fourth-ranked Lauren Embree gave the Gators a 3-2 lead after three sets against the Tar Heels’ Gina Suarez-Malaguti.
Embree won a 6-4 decision in the first set but lost focus in the second, giving Suarez-Malaguti an easy 6-1 win. Embree came back aggressively in the final set, clinching match point in a 6-2 victory.
The singles match was Embree’s 100th career singles win at Florida.
Sofie Oyen won her singles match as well, clinching the final point to seal a road win for Florida.
“This is one of the best wins that I can remember,” Thornqvist said in a release.
“The biggest hole we’ve been in as a unit and to be able to dig ourselves out of it against this quality of a team that North Carolina has. ... For us to be able to what we did today against that quality team after losing to Duke, I just can’t say enough.”
UF senior Lauren Embree returns a volley from Baylor sophomore Ema Burgic during the No. 1 Gators’ 7-0 win against the 15th-ranked Bears on Feb. 2. Embree has won four Southeastern Conference titles at Florida.
