Nine Gators make up the women’s tennis roster heading into the fall season, with some returning to improve upon last season and others looking to establish their name in Gainesville.
Senior Carly Briggs — Calhoun, Georgia
Briggs began her Florida career in the summer of 2021 as a transfer from Tennessee. Since becoming a Gator, she has amassed 19 singles wins and 22 doubles wins. Briggs and her doubles partner Marlee Zein at No. 8 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) national ranking heading into the spring of 2022. She was also recently acknowledged for her academic success, as one of nine eight Florida student athletes this season to win ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Senior Emma Shelton — Gainesville, Florida
Shelton, a Gainesville local, transferred to the UF in 2021 from South Carolina. Since coming to Florida, Shelton has an 18-13 overall singles record, with a ranked victory at the Freedom Memorial over then No. 30 Victoria Flores. Shelton was ranked 84th in singles heading into the 2022 spring season.
Junior Sara Dahlstrom — Stockholm, Sweden
Dahlstrom has been a commanding force for the Gators since her commitment in June of 2020. After a strong freshman campaign, she began the 2021-2022 season with a 3-0 singles record at the UNF Invitational. In the spring Dahlstrom held the team’s highest overall winning percentage with a record of 18-2, good for a 90%. She was also recognized for her academics with the ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Sophomore Emily De Oliveria — Bradenton, Florida
De Oliveira saw minimal action as a freshman in the 2021-2022 season. However, with a singles win at the Kitty Harrison Invitational and a two doubles victories with her partner Alicia Dudeney, she looks to build upon her success. De Oliveira was yet another Gator to claim ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Sophomore Alicia Dudeney — Hove, United Kingdom
Dudney exhibited much promise during her freshman season in 2021-2022. In the spring she was named a Second Team All-SEC honoree and part of the SEC All-Freshman team. Dudeney and her doubles partner, Bente Spee, achieved a victory at the Freeman Memorials doubles tournament, becoming the first Gators to do so since 2004. Like many other of her teammates, Dudeney claimed the ITA Scholar-Athlete Honors.
Sophomore Bente Spee — Heemstede, Netherlands
Spee showed dominance during her 2021 freshman outing as a doubles specialist. She, along with her partner Dudeney, finished the 2022 spring season at No. 53 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association doubles rankings. Spee also finished the spring 4-2 in dual singles matches, and she was another recipient of ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Freshman Rachel Gailis — Delray Beach, Florida
Gailis is the Gators’ most prolific prospect from their 2022 class She was the No. 2 recruit of the 2022 class and was touted as the highest ranked recruit by Dunlop RPI. Gailis was also named champion of the Clash on Clay tournament, a nationwide event held in Delray, Florida, and the Battle of Boca, a globally recognized tournament that features the top junior tennis players.
Freshman Anastasia Sysoeva — Sarasota, Florida
Sysoeva comes to Gainesville as a member of the 2022 recruiting class. She holds a Women’s Tennis Association ranking of 968 and International Tennis Federation junior ranking of 403. In her career, Sysoeva recorded wins against five ranked opponents and was a finalist for the W15 Cancun tournament, a yearly competition for the top tennis prospects.
Freshman Sophia Williams — Charleston, South Carolina
Williams is another intriguing freshman who has showcased great talent prior to college. She was a blue-chip recruit in the class of 2022 and holds a ITF junior ranking of 300. Recently, Williams displayed her ability at the 2022 ITF Summer Circuit, where she made it to the finals.
The fall season will get underway in Texas Sept. 19 for the Lubbock 15K tournament.
Contact Zachary Curtin at zcuritn@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @zachary_curtin.
Zach is a freshman sports journalism major and a sports reporter for the Alligator. When he is not covering UF sports he is often being disappointed by Philadelphia sports teams.
