Heading into their SEC Tournament semifinal matchup versus Florida, the Georgia women’s tennis team had not lost a doubles point in ten straight contests since dropping a close 4-3 match to the Gators on March 13 in Gainesville, Fla, ironically their last loss.

Saturday, the third-ranked and top-seeded Bulldogs would again drop the doubles point to the Gators, but this time they fought back in singles as they knocked off the Gators 4-2 to earn the chance at their third consecutive SEC Tournament title.

Georgia freshman Chelsey Gullickson clinched the match for the Bulldogs after she punished seventh-ranked Gator Marrit Boonstra in the decisive third set, 6-0. Boonstra beat Gullickson in straight sets in the last meeting between the two teams.

The Bulldogs (22-2) had lost the previous two dual matches in which they failed to secure the doubles point, but they believed in the message their head coach Jeff Wallace preached during the break between the doubles and singles play.

“I told them ‘we lost the doubles point last time to Florida.we’ve done a good job in our doubles since.but we’re not going to win the doubles point every single time,” Wallace told the team. “Now what we have to do is put that behind us and go out there and fight. We have to get off to a good start in our singles matches and everyone needs to believe that we’re going to win this match.”

And, they certainly got off to a strong start in the singles.

Georgia won five out of six first sets with sophomore Cameron Ellis spearheading the attack. Ellis quickly finished off Brooke Allen 6-1, 6-0 to tie the match score at 1-apiece. But, the Gators came right back to take the lead after Anastasia Revzina, No. 47 in the nation, beat Bulldog junior Yvette Hyndman 6-1, 6-1.

Georgia would regain the lead after freshman Nadja Gilchrist and junior Naoko Ueshima cruised to straight set victories over their opponents. No. 55 Gilchrist avenged a previous defeat to Joanna Mather with a 6-0, 6-4 victory, and Ueshima was nearly flawless in a 6-0, 6-1 win over Barbara Pinterova.

“Chelsey and Nadja lost to those girls last time, and they both came back and won, and that was huge,” Wallace said. “Cameron and Naoko took care of business on their courts and that’s our four points right there.”

The doubles point began smoothly for Georgia. Ueshima and Ellis disposed of Allen and Pinterova at 3-doubles 8-0 and the freshman duo of Gullickson and Gilchrist held a 3-1 lead at 1-doubles over Boonstra and Mather. However, Hyndman and Monika Dancevic lost at 2-doubles 8-3 to Revzina and Alexander, and Florida’s 1-doubles team rallied to win 7 straight games to take the match and clinch the doubles point.

“It’s nice [to get revenge]. It feels great,” Wallace said. “They’ve got a good team, and it was a great win for us. Now, we’ve got our huge final tomorrow.”

Georgia will now look to win their third straight SEC title as they will face the winner of the semifinal match between seventh-seeded Ole Miss and third-seeded Tennessee. Georgia defeated both in conference play earlier this season.

Georgia will look to lock up an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships Sunday at 1 pm ET.