The Florida Gators men's tennis team begins the NCAA Tournament as a first and second round host, playing its first round game on Friday, May 13 at 1:00pm against the Bulldogs from South Carolina State (13-4). The Gators (18-8) make their 21st consecutive NCAA tournament appearance on the heels of a stellar run through the SEC Tournament Championship catapulting them up to the No. 8 spot in the ITA National Rankings.
Led by national No. 7 senior Alexandre Lacroix and No. 40 Sekou Bangoura Jr., who also combine to form the No. 17 doubles team, Florida was awarded the No. 7 seed in the tournament, and is still seeking the first national championship in program history, having never made it past the semi-finals.
Should they win their first round match, the Gators will host the winner of Miami (FL) (14-8) and Nebraska (15-12) on Saturday, May 14 at 3:00 p.m. All subsequent rounds will be played at Stanford from May 19-30.
Florida's women's team will begin its run towards a fourth national championship and first since 2003 on Saturday, May 14 at 12:00 p.m., as they too play host to the South Carolina State Bulldogs. Florida enters as the top team in the ITA National Rankings, but received the No. 2 seed in the tournament, behind defending champion Stanford.
Coming into the tournament on a 15-match winning streak, the Gators (25-1) have swept 10 out of their last 11 matches, including a clean sweep through the SEC Tournament. Sophomores Allie Will and Lauren Embree have led the Gators all season, entering as the No. 7 and No. 17 singles players, respectively. Florida also boasts the No. 2 doubles team of Will and freshman Alexandra Cercone.
Should they defeat South Carolina State, Florida will play the winner of Arizona (15-6) and South Carolina (13-10) on Sunday, May 15 at 2:00pm. As with the men's tournament, all subsequent rounds will be held at Stanford from May 19-30.