The Gators found their master in doubles and it came in the form of Bulldogs.
Georgia trampled the Florida courts in doubles on Friday, a feat Florida has struggled with before.
The No. 12 Bulldogs’ (10-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) clinching of the doubles point is the fifth time the No. 4 Gators (10-2, 3-1 SEC) have fallen short in doubles play this season.
Two Florida pairings met their match against Georgia, as the Bulldogs volleyed Gator hits and worked them on every inch of the court.
“We had our hands full and clearly they outplayed us,” said coach Roland Thornqvist.
Georgia’s Silvia Garcia and Kate Fuller took a 3-0 lead on Alexandra Cercone and Sofie Oyen. The Gators worked hard to battle back, but the Bulldogs upped their intensity. Cercone and Oyen put up one point, but Garcia and Fuller came back with two more. No matter how much the Florida pair wised up to Georgia’s short slices, they could only finish out three points behind.
Caroline Hitimana and Olivia Janowicz had a similar struggle.
With Georgia’s Lilly Kimbell and Makenzie Craft battling them at frontcourt and in corners, the Florida pair couldn’t pull close to their lead. Hitimana and Janowicz showed some spark in hits, but the two finished out in a 5-8 loss that gave Georgia the doubles point.
Fortunately for the Gators, the team knows how to close out its opponents in singles.
Florida took down Georgia 4-1, a victory based on their singles’ saving grace.
Hitimana was dynamic in singles. The senior finished out Georgia’s Mia King 6-3, 6-1, to tie up the scoreboard at 1-1.
The Gator hasn’t lost a dual match since her freshman year and it showed.
“Caroline can be very difficult to play because she can change speeds in her play, she can actually come to the net and slow her tempo down significantly,” Thornqvist said.
“She brings a lot to us. She’s loud and fantastic.”
Janowicz dominated her singles match, putting a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Makenzie Craft. The junior gave Florida some hope, posting up a 2-1 lead over Georgia.
The Gators were shaping up, winning first sets on five courts.
“The start was perfect for us,” Thornqvist said.
“Not only to win the sets, but to have them long and physical. And I thought that took a toll on Georgia over the long haul.”
Sofie Oyen battled through choppy slices to grab a 7-5, 7-5 victory and another Florida point.
Senior Lauren Embree was the deciding factor after battling two long sets with split results.
In the third set, Embree was used to the rough volleys and spikes that Georgia’s Lauren Herring sent her way.
The top-ranked singles player clinched the Gators 4-1 victory after snapping a powerful forehand that left No. 7-ranked Herring out of touch.
“[Herring] grinds and gets good volleys, so I knew I had to get better looks on those shots,” Embree said.
“I went to my forehand because it was working better for me in tight games.”
With Florida’s strength in endurance through tied scores and long sets, Georgia’s win in doubles wasn’t the end all, be all.
“Losing the doubles point over Georgia is not necessarily something we should hang our heads over,” Thornqvist said.
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.
