Monday, May 24
Orlando, FL
3:00 p.m.
University of Louisville
vs
Doubles Championship
Neely and Simova Bow Out of NCAA Doubles Championships
May 24, 2021 | Women's Tennis
The No. 13 ranked pair finish the season with an 11-6 record together.
ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Louisville women's tennis teams' postseason run in the 2021 Women's Tennis NCAA Doubles Championship has come to an end for No. 13-ranked Tatiana and Raven Neely as the Cardinals' duo fell 6-1, 6-3 to Florida Monday afternoon at the USTA National Campus.
"Obviously, we are disappointed but I can't be too upset playing in a tournament like this. This is the best of the best," said Mark Beckham, UofL head coach. "We didn't play well but Florida had something to do with that. I'm extremely proud of Raven and Tati, they are No. 13 in the nation and drew the No. 7 team in the country. Very tough draw for both teams but nothing is going to be easy in the NCAA Tournament when it's the top 32 teams in the nation."
 The Gators' No. 7-ranked pair of McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein raced out to early lead going up 5-0 in the first set over Neely and Simova of Louisville, before winning 6-1.
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Neely and Simova regrouped and went up 3-2 early in the second set but the Gators earned a crucial break to put them ahead 4-3 before cruising to the 6-3 win.
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The Cards won just 42 percent of their first serve points compared to the Gators' 69 percent. UF won 58 percent of their first return points to UofL's 31 percent.
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Neely and Simova, the first pair to advance to the Doubles Championship since 2015 for the Cardinals, end their season with a mark of 11-6 as a pair.
"Raven has had an amazing tennis career here. Coming from her background, she isn't supposed to be one of the best in the country," said Beckham. "I also have a really good feeling that Tatiana will be back in this tournament in the future. They had a special season, they can definitely be proud of what they accomplished."
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"Obviously, we are disappointed but I can't be too upset playing in a tournament like this. This is the best of the best," said Mark Beckham, UofL head coach. "We didn't play well but Florida had something to do with that. I'm extremely proud of Raven and Tati, they are No. 13 in the nation and drew the No. 7 team in the country. Very tough draw for both teams but nothing is going to be easy in the NCAA Tournament when it's the top 32 teams in the nation."
 The Gators' No. 7-ranked pair of McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein raced out to early lead going up 5-0 in the first set over Neely and Simova of Louisville, before winning 6-1.
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Neely and Simova regrouped and went up 3-2 early in the second set but the Gators earned a crucial break to put them ahead 4-3 before cruising to the 6-3 win.
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The Cards won just 42 percent of their first serve points compared to the Gators' 69 percent. UF won 58 percent of their first return points to UofL's 31 percent.
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Neely and Simova, the first pair to advance to the Doubles Championship since 2015 for the Cardinals, end their season with a mark of 11-6 as a pair.
"Raven has had an amazing tennis career here. Coming from her background, she isn't supposed to be one of the best in the country," said Beckham. "I also have a really good feeling that Tatiana will be back in this tournament in the future. They had a special season, they can definitely be proud of what they accomplished."
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