It was a momentous for Florida tennis Friday night when both the Gators’ squads found their way past LSU.
Over in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the men stomped the Tigers to continue their winning streak while the women pulled off an upset at home.
Florida’s spirits ignited after topping its SEC rival for the third consecutive time. The Gators improved to 4-4 and pushed their all-time record against LSU to 48-2.
Senior Ida Jarlskog clawed her way back and took six games in a row to force a third set versus LSU senior Eden Richardson. An expressive Jarlskog pumped her chest after every score and loudly vocalized her delight.
With eyes set to kill, senior McCartney Kessler aggressively finished every play to down No. 41 Taylor Bridges. The match ended with a lazily placed Bridges drop shot, which put the final spike opportunity on a silver platter for Kessler.
While the Gators surrendered a doubles point, No. 26 Kessler and Marlee Zein kept their momentum and collected four straight wins. LSU’s Eden Richardson showed visible frustration after the loss as she punted the ball when the match was called.
Florida will take a day to recover before its next bout at home against No. 22 Texas A&M Sunday at noon.
The men’s team caught on fire with four-straight wins by at least three points. The sweep over LSU is its second of the season — the other came against Florida Atlantic Jan 16.
The sweep transferred from the scoreboard to the court in every single match. The Gators won the three doubles and six singles duels by rather large margins.
Freshman Ronald Hohmann’s performance against UF senior Duarte Vale was LSU’s closest chance at a victory Friday night. Vale emerged out victorious in three sets, 4-6, 6-1,10-8, after a 90-minute struggle.
Vale and Sam Riffice tallied another win in doubles play but also showed off their elite singles skills. They dominated their opponents Hohmann and freshman Tom Pisane.
Senior Andy Andrade, freshman Ben Shelton and sophomore Blaise Bicknell all pocketed their seventh win in comfortable fashion.
The Gators will board the bus to College Station, Texas, for their next SEC test against the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies. The first serve is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. and will stream on FloridaGators.com.
Contact Jesse Richardson at jrichardson@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @JesseRich352.
