Florida is one of six SEC squads that are ranked in the Preseason Top-25 ITA Preseason Poll

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Florida women's tennis program enters the spring 2022 season ranked No. 20 in the ITA Division I Preseason Rankings, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced on Wednesday morning.

In addition to the Gators, five other Southeastern Conference teams appear in the top-25, including Georgia (4), Texas A&M (14), LSU (21), Tennessee (22) and Auburn (25).Florida's first action of the 2022 campaign will take place Jan. 13-17, when a delegation of Gators will head to Las Vegas for the Freeman Memorial.

2022's roster features a balanced mixture of veterans and newcomers, including McCartney Kessler who earned All-American honors in both singles and doubles competition last season.

Marlee Zein also returns for the Gators, finishing the fall season ranked No. 34 in singles competition in addition to ending No. 24 in doubles with teammate Carly Briggs. Briggs, a Tennessee transfer, also found herself ranked No. 42 on the doubles list with freshman Alicia Dudeney. The United Kingdom native ended her fall ranked on two more doubles squads, including No. 46 with Bente Spee and No. 51 with Sydney Berlin.

South Carolina transfer, Emma Shelton, finished No. 87 in singles play during the fall. During the spring, Florida will matchup with six teams who found themselves in the ITA preseason rankings. The Gators will host their home opener on Wednesday, Jan. 22 with a double-header against Southern Mississippi (9 a.m. ET) and North Florida (3:30 p.m. ET).