Alabama
University of Florida
Alabama Women’s Tennis Continues SEC Play with Pair of Road Matches Against Florida and South Carolina
3/30/2017 1:11:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Crimson Tide travels to face Florida on Friday, March 31, at 4 p.m. CT, before taking on South Carolina on Sunday, April 2, at noon CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 34th-ranked Alabama women's tennis team will continue Southeastern Conference play this weekend with a pair of road matches. The Crimson Tide (7-11, 1-7 SEC) will travel to Gainesville, Fla., on Friday, March 31, to take on No. 1 Florida at 4 p.m. CT, before traveling to Columbia, S.C., on Sunday, April 2, to square off against the 13th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks in a match that is set to start at noon CT.
Last Time Out:
The Tide went 1-1 last weekend, as it upset then-No. 13 Kentucky in a 4-2 decision on Friday night, before falling to then-No. 8 Vanderbilt, 6-1, on Sunday afternoon.
Alabama Notes:
The Alabama women's tennis team climbed 11 spots to earn a No. 34 national ranking, which was announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Tuesday. The Tide has one singles player and a doubles tandem that are nationally ranked.
This week's set of rankings only featured team rankings. The next set of singles and doubles rankings is set to release Tuesday, April 4.
Alabama boasts 44 wins in singles play since beginning the dual match season and 25 victories in doubles.
Senior Erin Routliffe is currently ranked No. 38 in singles after compiling 10 wins since beginning the dual match season, with all of her matches coming from the No. 1 position, which ranks second on the team. Routliffe has registered eight wins over nationally-ranked singles opponents and five victories over nationally-ranked doubles opponents this year. She won three of her four matches last weekend, each of which came against top-20 opponents, and was named SEC Athlete of the Week. Routliffe helped upset 13th-ranked Kentucky with a win in straight sets in singles against No. 19-ranked Aldila Sutjiadi, marking the Tide's first SEC victory of the season.
Routliffe is ranked No. 25 in doubles play with freshman Maddie Pothoff after posting an impressive 10-3 record since the beginning of the dual match season with all matches coming from the No. 1 spot. The duo's 10 wins ranks first on the team for the most since the start of the spring season.
Florida Notes:
Florida enters Friday's match with a 16-1 overall record including a 6-1 mark in league play. Last weekend, the Gators outlasted then-No. 18 Arkansas, 4-3, on Friday night, before shutting out then-No. 44 Missouri in a 4-0 decision on Sunday afternoon.
The Gators have six singles players and three doubles teams that are nationally ranked. Josie Kuhlman, Ingrid Neel, Belinda Woolcock, Anna Danilina, Kourtney Keegan and Spencer Liang are ranked No. 15, No. 16, No. 21, No. 22, No. 35 and No. 68 in singles, respectively. Keegan teamed up with Brooke Austin to achieve a No. 9 ranking in doubles, while Neel and Danilina are ranked No. 24. Kuhlman partnered up with Woolcock to take the No. 35 spot in the doubles rankings.
South Carolina Notes:
South Carolina currently has a 13-5 overall record including a 4-3 mark in conference action. The Gamecocks will take on in-state rival Auburn on Friday night before hosting the Tide on Sunday. Last weekend, South Carolina defeated then-No. 18 Arkansas in a 4-2 decision on Friday night, before topping then-No. 44 Missouri in a 4-2 result on Sunday afternoon.
The Gamecocks have two singles players and one doubles pair that is nationally ranked. Ingrid Gamarra Martins and Mia Horvit are ranked No. 36 and No. 75 in singles play, respectively. Hadley Berg and Paige Cline are nationally ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Series History:
When Alabama and Florida face each other on Friday it will mark the 41st time the two programs have met, dating back to the 1977 season. The Gators hold a 39-1 advantage in the series. Last year, Florida topped Alabama in a 6-1 decision. The Tide's lone win over the Gators came during the 2014 season, when Alabama outlast Florida in a 4-3 result.
When the Tide and the Gamecocks square off against each other on Sunday it will mark the 26th time the two schools have met on the courts. South Carolina holds a slim 13-12 advantage in the series. Last year, the Gamecocks overcame the Tide in a 4-3 thriller. The last time Alabama defeated South Carolina was during the 2015 season, when the Tide topped the Gamecocks in a 4-2 result.
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Players Mentioned
