The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Florida - SEC Championship
No. 22 Rebels Fall to No. 3 Florida
4/17/2015 | Women's Tennis
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The No. 22 ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team concluded play at the SEC Championship, falling to No. 3 ranked and top-seeded Florida 4-0 in the quarterfinals here Friday at the Carolina Tennis Stadium.
The Rebels, who downed Kentucky 4-0 on Thursday in the second round, will now wait to learn their NCAA destination, when the selections are announced April 28. Florida advances to the semifinals to face the fourth seed, Vanderbilt.
The Gators jumped on the Rebels in doubles and never relinquished control of the match. They posted an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles with the No. 7 ranked duo and then clinched the point with an 8-3 win at No. 3.
In singles, 11th-ranked Julia Jones couldn't take down No. 5 ranked Brooke Austin a second time this season, falling 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles.
Junior Mai El Kamash lost to 10th-ranked Josie Kuhlman 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 singles, giving Florida a 3-0 lead. The Gators clinched the win as 45th-ranked Kourtney Keegan defeated Erin Stephens 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4 singles.
"There is a reason they (Florida) are the regular season SEC Champions and ranked No. 3 in the country, and they showed it today," head coach Mark Beyers said. "We definitely battled, but they were the better team out there. I am proud of this team for what they accomplished in the regular season and conference tournament.
"We'll take a few days off and then start preparing for the NCAA Tournament. We've shown that we can play with the top teams in the country, and hopefully we'll be able to play some of our best tennis in a few weeks at the NCAAs."
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis.
#3 Florida 4, #22 Ole Miss 0
Doubles
1. #7 Keegan/Austin (UF) def. Jones/Suk (OM) 8-2
2. #56 El Kamash/Stephens (OM) vs. Woolcock/Kuhlman (UF) DNF
3. Porter/Liang (UF) def. Milutinovic/Verboven (OM) 8-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3
Singles
1. #5 Brooke Austin (UF) def. #11 Julia Jones (OM) 6-2, 6-2
2. #10 Josie Kuhlman (UF) def. Mai El Kamash (OM) 6-1, 6-2
3. Natalie Suk (OM) vs. #27 Brianna Morgan (UF) DNF
4. #45 Kourtney Keegan (UF) def. Erin Stephens (OM) 6-4, 6-4
5. Iris Verboven (OM) vs. #53 Belinda Woolcock (UF) DNF
6. Zalina Khairudinova (OM) vs. Peggy Porter (UF) DNF
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 4
