Danielle Collins knows how to make a comeback, and she’s only a freshman.
After not seeing singles playing time for six matches, Collins was the deciding factor in Florida’s 4-0 win against LSU on Friday, and she was the first off the court in singles against Arkansas on Sunday.
The freshman shut out Kristen Mee 6-0 in two sets to grab a two-point lead for Florida (15-2, 8-1 SEC) over Arkansas (10-12, 3-7 SEC).
Not only did she show what she was made of in singles, but Collins also came out strong in doubles, especially with a teammate she had yet to play with.
Collins and fellow freshman Brianna Morgan put the Gators on the scoreboard after defeating the Razorbacks’ Flavia Araujo and Mee 8-1.
The Florida pairing put the Arkansas freshmen down shortly after Lauren Embree and Sofie Oyen grabbed a fast 8-1 win over Claudine Paulson and Segou Jonker.
Embree followed suit like Collins in singles, clinching the 7-0 victory for the Gators in an easy two-set win.
Embree put down freshman Yang Pang with a 6-2 win in the first set and 6-1 win in the second.
The Gators saw two-set wins on all courts during singles play.
Olivia Janowicz continued her dominance in singles, winning 6-1 in two sets against Segou Jonker.
The junior has only dropped one singles match against the eight SEC opponents she played this season, a 6-4 drop in two of three sets against Texas A&M’s Anna Mamalat.
Freshman Brianna Morgan continued to use her strength in serves to shut out Arkansas’ Araujo 6-0 in two sets for yet another Florida point.
Juniors Alex Cercone and Sofie Oyen played close first sets against their opponents in singles, but grabbed the other two wins for Florida in easy second sets.
Oyen went a little shaky in the first set, with a close 7-5 win against Paulson. The junior finished out Paulson 6-3 in the second.
Cercone went 6-3 in the first, but like Oyen, came back to dominate in the second. The junior played a controlled second, winning games back and forth for a 6-2 win and another Florida point.
Florida’s win against Arkansas put the team on a seven-match win streak in conference play, giving the Gators momentum on their trip back to Gainesville to face Ole Miss and Mississippi State this weekend.
Freshman Danielle Collins returns a serve during UF’s 7-0 win against USF on Jan. 29 at Linder Stadium. Collins teamed with Olivia Janowicz to win the only doubles match for the Gators on Friday.
