No. 36 State Women’s Tennis Falls To No. 24 Florida, 4-1

Saturday, March 27

Starkville

12:00 PM

Mississippi State

Florida

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Alexandra Mikhailuk before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Magda Adaloglou before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Tamara Racine before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Chloe Cirotte before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Head Coach Daryl Greenan before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Emma Antonaki before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Team before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Assistant Head Coach Sachin Kirtane before the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Team huddle during the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Umpire during the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Marta Falceto during the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Tamara Racine during the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Magda Adaloglou during the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Emma Antonaki during the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Alexandra Mikhailuk during the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, MS - MARCH 27, 2021 - Chloe Cirotte during the match between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, MS. Photo By Sarah Triplett

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

No. 36 State Women’s Tennis Falls To No. 24 Florida, 4-1

March 27, 2021 | Women's Tennis

Photo Gallery

By: Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE – The 36th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team fell 4-1 to No. 24 Florida Saturday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. With the setback, State dropped to 10-8, 2-8 in SEC play, while the Gators improved to 9-6, 7-3 in conference play.

The Gators struck first to earn a 1-0 lead after doubles. Bulldogs Chloé Cirotte and Alexandra Mikhailuk dropped their match with Sydney Berlin and Sara Dahlstrom on court 3 6-2 before Gators Ida Jarlskog and Layne Sleeth ousted State's tandem of Emma Antonaki and Marta Falceto 6-3 at No. 2 to clinch the doubles point. In a top 20 matchup on court 1, MSU's 18th-ranked Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine trailed the No. 2-ranked UF duo of McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein 5-3 when play was suspended.

The Gators grabbed four first sets and the first match in singles to take a 2-0 lead as UF's 11th-ranked Kessler downed MSU's Racine 6-1, 6-1 on court 1.

State's Antonaki, ranked 19th nationally, responded with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Florida's 47th-ranked Zein to cut Florida's lead to 2-1 in her third ranked win of the season. The victory also marked Antonaki's 100th career triumph when combining singles and doubles wins, and her 19th win in 22 matches, dating back to last season.

Florida then claimed the next two matches to clinch the team win. On court 6, Berlin downed MSU's Falceto 6-2, 6-4, before the Bulldogs' Mikhailuk was handed a defeat by the same score from 120th-ranked Gator Layne Sleeth at the No. 4 position.

Play on the final two courts was suspended at that point. At No. 3, the Bulldogs' 61st-ranked Adaloglou had dropped a tight first set to UF's Jarlskog 6-4, but had just gone ahead 5-4 in the second when play was halted. The MSU true freshman Cirotte held a 7-5, 4-3 advantage –up a break in the second – over the 113^th-ranked Gator Dahlstrom on court 5.

Next Up
The Bulldogs will continue their five-match homestand next Friday, April 2, as they host 21^st-ranked rival Ole Miss at 5 p.m. CT. The final two matches in the home stretch will come against No. 23 Kentucky (April 8) and No. 16 Vanderbilt (Apr. 10).

For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

#24 Florida 4, #36 Mississippi State 1
March 27, 2021
Starkville, Miss. – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre

Doubles
1. #2 McCartney Kessler/Marlee Zein (UF) vs. #18 Magda Adaloglou/Tamara Racine (MSU) 5-3, susp.
2. Ida Jarlskog/Layne Sleeth (UF) def. Emma Antonaki/Marta Falceto (MSU) 6-3
3. Sydney Berlin/Sara Dahlstrom (UF) def. Chloé Cirotte/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3,2

Singles
1. #11 McCartney Kessler (UF) def. Tamara Racine (MSU) 6-1, 6-1
2. #19 Emma Antonaki (MSU) def. #47 Marlee Zein (UF) 6-3, 6-3
3. Ida Jarlskog (UF) vs. #61 Magda Adaloglou (MSU) 6-4, 4-5, susp.
4. #120 Layne Sleeth (UF) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Chloé Cirotte (MSU) vs. #113 Sara Dahlstrom (UF) 7-5, 4-3, susp.
6. Sydney Berlin (UF) def. Marta Falceto (MSU) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 1,2,6,4