The No. 1 Florida women’s tennis has come a long way since losing to then-No. 1 California on Feb. 26 and to then-No. 16 Stanford on Feb. 28.
Since then, the Gators (21-2, 13-0 Southeastern Conference) have gone undefeated, beating multiple top-25 teams and capturing both the SEC regular season and tournament titles.
In the SEC Tournament, the Gators were successful in taking down LSU, Auburn and Georgia, albeit in much closer matches. But what really set the Gators apart was the play of all of seven UF’s players.
Six Gators secured at least one win. Anna Danilina won in all three games.
Brianna Morgan clinched the final match against Georgia and won the SEC Tournament MVP, while Spencer Liang clinched the first two matches with stellar play.
“She's a completely different player than she was last year,” said coach Roland Thornqvist, who was named the SEC Coach of the Year on Wednesday. “Last year was more, for Spencer, about coming back into the game and being competitive in this arena where everyday you're going to practice and compete against the best players in America. It took a little while for her to get back into that competitive calling. This year, she's much more comfortable, but she's more skilled.”
Florida will have three weeks to prepare for the NCAA Tournament, which it last won in 2012.
Winning the SEC Tournament gave Florida an automatic berth, but its record will give it first- and second-round home court advantage.
And the Gators have had success in the tournament — since the 2010 season Florida has made it to at least the quarterfinals, winning national titles in 2011 and 2012.
Florida is lead by Brooke Austin on court one, who earned her second consecutive SEC Player of the Year honor on Wednesday. She is just the third player to be awarded back-to-back Player of the Year honors.
Austin was also named to the First Team All-SEC list alongside Belinda Woolcock while Morgan, Anna Danilina and Kourtney Keegan were named to the Second Team All-SEC team.
As a testament to the level the Gators are playing at, they are also riding a 16 dual-match win streak.
But despite its hot streak, a three-week break from playing could disrupt Florida’s momentum.
Thornqvist understands that, which is why he is balancing finals and practice.
“This week is exam week, so look, let’s hit the books and get all A’s, and then we’re still going to keep up fitness,” Thornqvist said. Florida begins the NCAA tournament on May 13, and it'll find out who it plays on May 3.
Florida begins the NCAA tournament on May 13, and it'll find out who it plays on May 3.
Contact Jake Dreillinger at jdreilinger@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @DreilingerJake.
UF women’s tennis coach Roland Thornqvist smiles during introductions prior to Florida’s win over USF on Jan. 27, 2016, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
