Florida women’s tennis concluded its 2024 spring season against in-state rival Miami, losing 4-3 at home. This marked the Gators fourth season since 2018 of making it no further than the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
As the team looked to make a change in the 2024-25 season and test itself early, No. 14 Florida opened its fall slate facing two ranked ACC opponents, No. 23 Duke and No. 7 North Carolina, at the Kitty Harrison Invitational.
In the three-day event, Florida was inconsistent, dropping seven singles matches but winning the doubles point in two of their three competitions.
The Gators opened against Old Dominion on Friday, sweeping the Monarchs 3-0 in doubles but struggling in singles, losing 3-2.
The Gators got off to a quick start in each of their three doubles matches. Seniors Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee put together an impressive performance against the Monarchs’ No. 77 Sofia Johnson and Lidiia Rasskouskaia, topping the pair 6-4.
Florida’s ranked doubles pair, No. 66 Qavia Lopez and Talia Neilson-Gatenby, also lived up to their preseason expectations. The duo notched a quick 6-2 win over Old Dominion’s Victoria Matasova and Ulyana Romanova.
In what became a theme over the weekend, Florida didn’t hold up nearly as well in singles against the Norfolk, Virginia natives.
No. 103 Dudeney and No. 122 Neilson-Gatenby each drew out their own respective two-set wins, but UF freshmen Nikola Daubnerova and Noemie Oliveras struggled in their first college matches.
After dropping her Friday matchup, Daubnerova didn’t compete in singles on Saturday or Sunday. Oliveras, however, remained a staple of the Gators lineup. She endured her share of struggles on the weekend, going 3-5 in sets, but held up well in her first week of collegiate play. Oliveras went on to win her final match over UNC’s Alana Boyce.
Meanwhile, Lopez dropped her Friday singles match to Old Dominion's No. 77 Sofia Johnson, losing 6-2, 6-3. She subsequently did not compete in singles on Saturday or Sunday.
Florida’s singles lineup dwindled with each day of the match, only featuring three competitors on Saturday against Duke and two on Sunday against North Carolina. The Blue Devils swept the Gators in their three singles matches, while UNC split its pair of matches with UF 1-1. Dudeney and Oliveras were the only Gators to play in singles all three days.
Florida’s doubles performance over the weekend slate proved to be more inspiring.
In addition to the Gators sweeping Old Dominion on Friday, Florida topped Duke 2-1 in doubles, with Dudeney and Spee logging their second doubles win of the invitational 6-4. The freshman duo, Daubnerova and Oliveras, also drew out a gritty 6-4 win in doubles on Saturday, scoring the doubles point for Florida against Duke.
Florida’s success in doubles didn’t translate over to Sunday, as the team dropped both of its matches to North Carolina.
The Gators were without their two highest-ranked singles players, No. 29 Emily De Oliviera and No. 7 Rachel Gailis, for the invitational. Gailis is coming off of a season that saw her finish in the top ten for collegiate women’s tennis singles.
With opening weekend in the books, Florida will look to turn things around in ITA All-American competitions from Sept. 21 to Sept. 29. In pursuit of their eighth national championship, the Gators will continue to tune up their squad throughout the fall.
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @noahwhite1782
Noah White is a sophomore majoring in journalism and public relations and The Alligator's Women's Tennis Reporter. In his free time, Noah writes some more and plays soccer and volleyball. He also knows more about Liberty League women's soccer than you do.
