Florida junior Alicia Dudeney didn’t just want a win in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Round of 64, she needed a win.
Dudeney had dropped her last three singles bouts but was given the opportunity to bounce back on Court 4, facing off against Stetson freshman Zali Morris.
And Dudeney responded in a dominant fashion.
The junior was on her game, besting Morris in straight-sets, and ultimately, earning the winning point in the No. 14 Gators (17-8, 11-2 SEC) 4-0 first round win against Stetson (15-7, 10-0 ASUN) Saturday.
The win secured the Gators a spot in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament, where UF will face the Miami Hurricanes.
Florida came out the gates strong in doubles play, earning the team’s 12th straight doubles point.
On Court 3, Florida’s pair of sophomore Rachel Gailis and junior Bente Spee made quick work of Stetson’s team of graduate student Noa Cohen and Morris, winning 6-1.
The Gators then secured the doubles point on Court 2, as the team of graduate student Carly Briggs and freshman Qavia Lopez edged out Stetson’s pair of juniors Cheri Darley and Alanna DiFrancesco.
Florida’s momentum carried over into singles, as the Gators captured the first set in all six matchups on their way to the overall match victory.
A point was quickly earned on Court 2, where Florida’s No. 75 junior Sara Dahlstrom swept the first set against Stetson senior Nadejda Maslova.
Following the first set, Maslova retired, giving Dahlstrom the win and the Gators their second point of the day.
The win was quickly followed up on Court 1 by No. 8 Gailis, who cruised past Stetson’s Darley en route to 6-2, 6-1 victories.
With the Gators needing just one more win to clinch the victory, Dudeney delivered on Court 3, defeating Stetson’s Morris 6-2, 6-2.
Due to the quick win, some matches didn’t have the chance to finish.
This included the Court 1 doubles match between Florida’s team of freshman Malwina Rowinska and Dudeney and Stetson’s pairing of seniors Magdalena Hedrzak and Maslova, which ended 5-5.
Meanwhile, in singles play, Florida’s No. 56 Briggs, No. 109 Lopez and Spee all took the first sets in their respective matchups, leading at the time of finish.
Notably, Briggs was one game away from securing a Court 3 victory over Stetson’s DiFrancesco.
Florida’s team captain holds an eight-match winning streak in singles play and is one of two Gators who will be competing in the Division I singles championship later this month, the other being Gailis.
Florida will now face Miami in a Second Round match at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex Sunday at 2 p.m.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
