On Friday, seven Gators stepped onto the Georgia Tech courts for the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships.
Each was playing for a seat in the national championships in early November.
And by the time action ended on Sunday, the Gators earned three of the four seats in the singles semifinals draw in Atlanta.
University of Georgia’s Lauren Herring — the No. 1 seed in the singles draw — earned the fourth spot, which was soon taken away by UF’s freshman Josie Kuhlman, 6-3, 6-2.
And on Monday morning, Kuhlman won the main draw singles title after playing a straight set against UF teammate Brianna Morgan, 6-2, 6-2.
About an hour after Kuhlman’s victory, No. 6 seed Gators tandem Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan walked on the same court and won the doubles title.
The duo defeated teammates Peggy Porter and Kuhlman, 6-3, 6-3.
Like Herring from Georgia, the University of Miami tandem Stephanie Wagner and Lina Lileikite were the only pair not in a Gators uniform in the doubles semifinals.
Singles champion Kuhlman and doubles winners Austin and Keegan earned the region’s qualifying spots in the 2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, New York.
The tournament will take place in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Nov. 6 through Nov. 9.
Austin secured a seat in the national championship singles draw earlier this month after reaching the semifinals at the 2014 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships.
"I was so proud to see not only the quality of tennis, but perhaps even more importantly, the way we competed with one another," coach Roland Thornqvist said in a release.
"All five played with such class and respect for each other. Remember, we do this every day in practice, so these girls are used to playing against the best every day."
No. 14-ranked and No. 3 seed junior Brianna Morgan won all four rounds until dropping the title-winning match with Kuhlman.
No. 7 seed Peggy Porter reached the semifinals after defeating Georgia Tech’s Natasha Prokhnevska, 6-4, 6-4, but then dropped to teammate Morgan, 6-2, 6-2.
No. 89-ranked and No. 13 seed Belinda Woolcock defeated Georgia State’s Linn Timmermann, 7-6, 6-4.
But before reaching quarterfinals, the sophomore dropped to Miami’s Stephanie Wagner, 6-3, 6-1.
Australian Stefani Stojic won the first round by defeating FSU’s Yukako Noi, 6-2,6-3, but followed that with a loss to Miami’s Sinead Lohan, 6-3, 6-4.
Spencer Liang defeated Stetson’s Maja Salibasic in Round 1, 6-3,6-2, but dropped to Silva Garcia from the University of Georgia, 6-4, 6-3.
No. 51-ranked and No. 9 seed Kourtney Keegan dropped round one to Florida State’s Daneika Borthwick, 0-6,6-3,6-4.
"The work ethic that these eight players have is unparallel, even with our national championship teams," Thornqvist said. "Their attitudes, their willingness to learn and work on things has been fantastic."
Follow Mary Francis on Twitter @_Maryfrancis
Coach Roland Thornqvist looks down the courts of the Ring Tennis Complex during Florida's 4-0 win against Louisville on Aug. 25.
