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Riffice advances in singles, Kessler, Zein advance in doubles
A tough day for Florida tennis saw Vale, Andrade and more bow out in the individual championships Sam Riffice against USF. Riffice advanced to the next round in the individual tournament Monday. Photo by Faith Buckley | The Independent Florida Alligator
Florida tennis struggled in the individual championships Monday as the majority of the Gators’ remaining athletes were eliminated.
Junior Sam Riffice defeated Georgia Tech’s Andres Martin. Riffice struggled out of the gate and lost the first set for the second day in a row. The junior recovered to down Martin 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 and will face Illinois’s Siphosothando Montsi in the round of 16 on Tuesday at noon.
Gators cap-off regular season with a visit to South Carolina
No. 13 Florida takes a final road trip through Columbia, South Carolina, to improve win streak The Gators head into their last regular-season game. Photo from UF-LSU game Feb. 26. Photo by Faith Buckley | The Independent Florida Alligator
Gray clouds and thunderbolts struck the afternoon skies over the campus of South Carolina Saturday afternoon. When the raindrops soaked the courts, the umpires delayed the match.
But Mother Nature refused to yield. The umpires had no other choice but to postpone the duel to Tuesday. Now, lineups are set and the final regular-season match will carry on.
Doubles struggle, seniors lead the comeback with singles skills
Vanderbilt tested the No. 15 Gators early but Florida prevails on senior day
Marlee Zein prepares a forehand return against LSU Feb. 26 Photo by Faith Buckley | The Independent Florida Alligator
The ball zoomed off the rackets of Florida duo Layne Sleeth and Ida Jarskog into Vandy’s Emma Kurtz and Marcella Cruz to ignite a chaotic final rally. The opponents did everything they could to break the cycle but the couples traded blows for more than ten rallies.
Finally, senior Jarlskog found the grand opportunity and punched in a final spike into Vanderbilt’s backcourt to put an end to the fight. The strategic placement gave the tandem a 6-2 win plus their teammates, McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein, are gi