BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— The Southeastern Conference announced the 2025 women’s tennis postseason awards Wednesday afternoon. Florida had representation on both the All-SEC First Team and Second Team. No. 53 Alicia Dudeney received First Team honors for the first time in her collegiate career, and No. 19 Rachel Gailis was named to the Second Team.
 
Dudeney finished her 2024–25 season by earning First Team All-SEC honors, solidifying her status as one of the top players in the conference. Competing primarily at the No. 2 singles position for the Gators, Dudeney compiled a remarkable stretch in SEC play, highlighted by an 11-match win streak that included victories over nationally ranked opponents such as Eszter Meri (No. 69), Catherine Aulia (No. 34), and Valeria Ray (No. 56).

Dudeney’s consistency and resilience were on full display during her senior season with hard-fought three-set victories, including comeback efforts against top-tier teams like LSU and Tennessee. Dudeney also made statements in doubles, where she and partner Bente Spee held the No. 1 position during dual play.

Earlier in the year, Dudeney also made an appearance in the NCAA Final Four Championship alongside Gailis. The combination of Dudeney and Gailis can be highlighted by their 8-1 run this fall, along with their take down of the No. 1-seeded UCLA in pursuit of the NCAA semifinals. The duo earned their highest career ranking at No. 3 after the conclusion of the tournament and have remained in the nation’s top-15 since.

Gailis received recognition from the league as well, earning All-SEC Second Team honors after a standout junior year. Gailis’ season is highlighted by a signature victory on Feb. 23, where she took down No. 2 DJ Bennett in a gritty 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 battle at Auburn. That win marked her highest-ranked career victory and was a turning point in her season as she solidified herself as one of the conference’s premier competitors. Gailis collected several other key wins in the singles category, including dominant performances over No. 11 Celia-Belle Mohr of Vanderbilt and No. 74 Carolina Gomez-Alonso of Arkansas.

First-team and second-team All-SEC honorees, All-Freshman team, along with Player, Coach, and Freshman of the Year were chosen by the league’s 16 coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their team or players, and ties are not broken.

 

First Team All-SEC

DJ Bennett, Auburn

Alicia Dudeney, Florida

Anastasiia Lopata, Georgia

Mell Reasco, Georgia

Dasha Vismanova, Georgia

Cadence Brace, LSU

Sarah Hamner, South Carolina

Catherine Aulia, Tennessee

Elza Tomase, Tennessee

Nicole Khirin, Texas A&M

Mary Stoiana, Texas A&M

Celia-Belle Mohr, Vanderbilt

 

Second Team All-SEC

Petra Sedlackova , Alabama

Carolina Gomez, Arkansas

Angella Okutoyi, Auburn

Rachel Gailis, Florida

Zoe Hammond, Kentucky

Kayla Cross, LSU

Julia Garcia Ruiz, Oklahoma

Alina Shcherbinina , Oklahoma

Kaitlyn Carnicella, South Carolina

Carmen Herea, Texas

Mia Kupres, Texas A&M

Lucciana Perez, Texas A&M

Valeria Ray, Vanderbilt

 

All-Freshman Team

Merna Refaat, Auburn

Cadence Brace, LSU

Kayla Cross, LSU

Salakthip Ounmuang, Oklahoma

Ashton Bowers, Texas

Carmen Herea, Texas

 

Player of the Year: Dasha Vidmanova, Georgia

Freshman of the Year: Cadence Brace, LSU

Newcomer of the Year: Sofia Rojas, Georgia

Co-Coaches of the Year: Drake Bernstein, Georgia / Mark Weaver, Texas A&M

 

FOLLOW THE GATORS

SOCIAL: X | Facebook | Instagram

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators