College tennis: Lely grad Embree keeps on winning at Florida

Photo by Ron Irby

Ron Irby, University of Florida Marco's Lauren Embree, No. 1 singles player for the University of Florida, is now No. 1 in the SEC. She was named the SEC Player of the Year by the coaches. She is the first freshman in the SEC to ever win the award.

Marco’s Lauren Embree continues to blaze her tennis trail, playing No. 1 singles for the University of Florida.

The hard-hitting freshman does what she has done since she was seven — win.

Embree moved her record to 25-5 with singles wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky opponents over the weekend.

The Gators are tied for the lead in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with an unblemished 8-0 mark and are ranked No. 3 nationally. They stretched their home-court winning streak to 53 matches.

“Lauren has just been tremendous,” coach Roland Thornqvist says. “She leads us in work ethic and is one of the great team players.”

As always, Embree is quick to credit the team.

“There is less pressure with this team,” she says. “Even if you lose you know your team can still win.”

Right. Twenty of Embree's 25 wins are over ranked opponents.

“Lauren plays No. 1 singles and the players she is beating in straight sets clearly helps our team,” Thornqvist says. “She is clearly one of the best players in the country."

While she rolled up championships in USTA Juniors, 18-and-under, and wins at the international level, she doesn’t look back.

“I’m 19 now and done with juniors,” Embree says. “Once the season is over, I will compete in challenge tournaments and look to pro circuit events,” while remaining an amateur.

Embree says she has adapted to a hectic college schedule.

“It’s fine now, but at the beginning it was a lot more than I expected,” she says. “There’s classes, tutors, practice and matches that keep me constantly busy.”

Florida (18-2) focuses on its final three regular-season matches, all away. They are tied with Georgia, while South Carolina and Tennessee are close behind. The Gators play Tennessee on Friday, Georgia on Sunday and South Carolina on April 17.

“I feel pretty confident that we can win the SEC, but it will be tough competition,” Embree says.

With Embree leading the way, Thornqvist thinks his team has an edge.

“She goes all-out every time,” he says. “She’s a professional the way she conducts herself, and that’s the type of atmosphere we want to have here, with the goals we set. We want to have the players thrive and be the best that they can be and Lauren is a perfect example. Lauren has exceeded all expectations.”