After taking a tough 4-0 loss at home to Texas A&M on Sunday, Florida bounced back and started its two-game road trip strong with a statement victory at Mississippi State.
Whether it was doubles or singles, the Gators were in total control of Friday's dual match. UF won all three singles matches and two of three doubles matches.
Florida dominated in its pair of doubles victories, winning both by at least three games. In singles, UF head coach Per Nilsson’s squad won eight of the nine complete sets, with six of those won by at least three games.
With its dominance on the court, Florida secured its first road conference win of the season by way of a 4-0 sweep against Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi. The Gators have now won two of their last three games, all of which have been against SEC competition.
Despite their sweep at the hands of the defending national champion Aggies in their last time out, the Gators have still shown signs of improvement this season. Just last Friday, UF upset then-No. 9 Texas 4-3 at home last Friday, moving Florida up 24 spots in the ITA rankings to No. 37. This Friday, Florida had the opportunity to grab its first SEC road win this season and continue to climb the national ranks.
Mississippi State had their ups and downs prior to Friday's dual match. Overall, the Bulldogs have a 10-5 record, but are 0-5 against SEC opponents. However, things were different last time on the court, as head coach Chris Hooshyar’s team swept Eastern Kentucky 4-0 at home.
Florida started Friday's competition strong by securing the doubles point.
The Gators won their first doubles match on court there, where freshman Nokola Daubnerova and junior Racehl Gailis defeated Mississippi State’s sophomore pair of Jayna Clemens and Chara Di Genova 6-0. This victory marks the first for Gailis and Daubnerova as a doubles pair this season.
Mississippi State took the doubles match on court two. Florida’s freshman pair of Noémie Oliveras and Talia Neilson-Gatenby fell short to Mississippi State freshman Emma Cohen and sophomore Alessia Tagliente 6-2, giving theFlorida pair its first defeat of the season.
To secure the doubles point, Florida senior pair Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee took down freshman Gianna Oboniye and sophomore Athina Pitta. The Gator pair notched an early 5-0 lead, but Oboniye and Pitta won the following three straight games to make the match closer at 5-3. Dudeney and Spee came out on top 6-3 by taking the following game, securing the doubles point for Florida.
The Gators continued their momentum from doubles by winning their first three singles matches.
On court one, No. 50 Gailis faced Oboniye. After taking the first set 6-3, Gailis gave the Mississippi State freshman no chance by dominating the second set 6-2. This secured Gailis’ second win in her las three singles matches, despite dealing with wrist and back pain during that span.
Florida would take a 3-0 lead on the day with Dudeney’s victory on court two. After taking the first set 6-2, the Florida junior remained in control to take the second set 6-2 over Mississippi State freshman Carolina Troiano.
Neilson-Gatenby finished the day off in her match on court three, where the freshman from England took on Tagliente. After a hard fought first set that Neilson-Gatenby took 6-4, the Florida freshman secured a straight sets victory by taking the second set with ease 6-2. With this victory, Neilsong-Gatenby ends her three-match singles losing streak.
The Gators are now 5-6 on the year and will look to reach .500 as they take on No. 21 Alabama in Tuscaloosa this Sunday.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Spring 2025 women's tennis beat reporter and a first-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
