No. 12 Florida Tops Tennis In Sunday Match

COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri tennis lost 4-0 to No. 12 University of Florida on Sunday, March 24, at the Country Club of Missouri. The loss moves Mizzou’s record to 4-15 for the season, as the Tigers are still on the lookout for their first conference victory in 2024.

The Tigers kicked off the morning match with doubles play against the Gators, holding strong on the No. 1 and 2 courts but could not walk away with the point. The No. 53-ranked duo of senior Mae Canete and junior Inah Caete narrowly lost to the Gators in the No. 1 spot, 6-4. Seniors Romary Cardenas Rifka and Gabriela Martinez faced off head to head against Florida’s No. 2 pairing, ending their match unfinished at 6-5. 

Mizzou entered singles play down 1-0 but could not pull away with the win, falling to Florida on the No. 1, 3, and 4 courts. In the No. 5 spot, sophomore Andrea Artimedi dominated against the Gators, though the match went unfinished with the Tiger up, 6-4, 5-2. I. Canete battled on the No. 2 court, taking her first set to 7-5, but the junior was also not able to finish her match in the second set up 2-1.

HEAD COACH BIANCA TURATI

“I’m happy about our performance today. We showed up strong in both doubles and singles. It was very competitive on every court. We are facing the top teams in the country, but we are creating opportunities and putting ourselves in a position to win matches. We served and returned better than Friday. I like our chances when we make our opponents play longer points and make the game physical. We have to keep working on staying disciplined and our intensity. We have the day off tomorrow, and then we’ll get back to practicing hard again for a couple of days before we leave to play Kentucky and Vanderbilt.”

UP NEXT

The Tigers are scheduled to travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to face off against No. 67 University of Kentucky on Friday, March 29, at 4 p.m. CT. Mizzou will then continue its road tour to Nashville to face No. 29 Vanderbilt University on March 31 at 1 p.m. CT. 

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FULL RESULTS

Missouri 0, No. 12 Florida 4

Doubles:

1. Alicia Dudenay/Malwina Rowinska (UF) def. Mae Canete/Inah Canete (MIZ) 6-4

2. Carly Briggs/Qavia Lopez (UF) vs. Romary Cardenas Rifka/Gabriela Martinez (MIZ) 6-5, uf

3. Rachel Gailis/Bente Spee (UF) def. Andrea Artimedi/Sophia McLellan (MIZ) 6-1

Order of Finish: 3, 1

Singles:

1. Rachel Gailis (UF) def. Mae Canete (MIZ) 6-2, 6-2

2. Inah Canete (MIZ) vs. Carly Briggs (UF) 7-5, 2-1, uf 

3. Qavia Lopez (UF) def. Gabriela Martinez (MIZ) 6-0, 6-4

4. Malwina Rowinska (UF) def. Romary Cardenas Rifkan (MIZ) 6-4, 6-0

5. Andrea Artimedi (MIZ) vs. Bente Spee (UF) 6-4, 5-2, uf

6. Sophia McLellan (MIZ) vs. Sophie Williams uf

Order of Finish: 4, 1, 3