For a brief time Sunday, Georgia looked like it might actually beat Florida.
Even after the Gators won the doubles point and the first singles point, the Bulldogs took the first set on four of the remaining five singles courts. All they had to do was hold on.
They didn’t, and the Gators (21-1) came up with clutch points all over the court en route to their third straight Southeastern Conference championship, defeating the No. 7 Bulldogs 4-1.
“It feels great, and in particular because of the match we just played,” coach Roland Thornqvist said. “That was the SEC’s finest right there, the two best teams in the league without a doubt. It was high-level tennis from start to finish. I think once again our fitness proved to perhaps make a little bit of a difference.”
After Joanna Mather defeated Georgia’s Nadja Gilchrist 6-4, 6-4, the Gators took a 2-0 lead in the match. But four Gators dropped their first sets, including both No. 1 Allie Will and No. 10 Lauren Embree. Holding all four leads would have given the Bulldogs (21-4) the win, but the two-time defending conference champions fought back.
Especially impressive was Embree, who won her second set against No. 7 Chelsey Gullickson, a player who has given Florida fits in the past. In the decisive third set, down 4-3, Embree was able to break Gullickson twice to tie the set at five. The junior then put her foot down, winning the final two games to win the set and the match, giving Florida a 3-1 lead.
“It’s a testament to our players to have the fitness to be able to compete for four hours and then continue to make good decisions and put the ball where it needs to be at the end of these three-set matches,” Thornqvist said.
After that, it was up to junior Caroline Hitimana to hold her third-set lead. She did, winning 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to clinch the match and the championship for the Gators. It was the third straight and eighth in 10 years for the most dominant program in SEC women’s tennis history. The Gators have won the SEC Tournament 18 times out of a possible 26.
After the match, Embree and Mather were named to the all-tournament team. Mather was named tournament MVP after going 3-0 and getting the first singles point in the championship on Sunday.
“It is an honor. There are great players in the SEC, and I think a lot of girls deserve it on my team too. It’s a great honor,” she said.
“It’s so nice to do this my senior year, to come out and win it. It was so close. It looked like it could go either way. Georgia played a really great match, and we’re so excited we came out with the win.”
The No. 10 men lost Saturday in the SEC tournament semifinal to Mississippi. The Gators lost the doubles point and never recovered, ending their run at the tournament with a 4-1 defeat. The lone victory of the afternoon was by Tripper Carleton, who in 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. Now, the Gators must wait to hear their seeding for next month’s NCAA tournament.
Florida’s women’s tennis team poses for a photo after winning its third straight Southeastern Conference Championship on Sunday by beating Georgia 4-1 in Oxford, Miss.
