The Gators left Gainesville in dominating fashion, finishing play at the Ring Tennis Complex undefeated this season.
In the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, No. 1 Florida (23-2) blanked both South Carolina State and No. 25 Syracuse 4-0 on May 13 and 14, respectively.
The Gators were backed by strong play in doubles and the bottom of the lineup in singles.
On both days, all three singles victories came from courts four, five and six.
It's been that way throughout SEC play and the postseason.
In SEC play, Florida’s back three finished with a 37-2 record. Their singles play was the reason it succeeded in the first and second rounds.
In doubles against both teams, the Gators were also dominant,only losing two games in three matches on Friday and eight games on Saturday.
Against the Bulldogs, Florida held a commanding lead on all six courts. Spencer Liang, Josie Kuhlman and Anna Danilina shut out their opponents in each match 6-0, 6-0 and the Gators outscored South Carolina State 61 games to four in singles play.
The Orange had a little more success against Florida, but not much.
On courts one and two, Syracuse’s Anna Schkudun and Valeria Salazar forced third sets against No. 4 Brooke Austin and No. 11 Belinda Woolcock, respectively.
But just like against the Bulldogs, the Gators’ four, five and six players produced big wins against the Orange. Danilina and Kuhlman each picked up their second win in as many games, while No. 40 Kourtney Keegan, who came in for Spencer Liang, earned her first victory of the tournament.
Just like in any tournament, though, it only gets harder.
And awaiting Florida in the Round of 16 is one of two teams to beat the Gators this season.
Stanford reached the next round with a close 4-3 victory over Texas A&M and will be the first team Florida faces in Tulsa.
On Feb. 28, the Cardinal took down the Gators 4-3, despite Florida taking the early lead with the doubles point.
The Gators play again May 19 at 1 p.m. in Tulsa at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Contact Jake Dreilinger at jdrelinger@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @DreilingerJake.
UF's Kourtney Keegan hits a forehand during Florida's 6-1 win over USF on Jan. 27, 2016, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
