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Returning home Friday afternoon wasn't much help for the Tennessee's women's tennis team against its greatest nemesis.

Florida ran its series record against the Lady Vols to 32-0 with a 7-0 victory in an SEC match at UT's Goodfriend Tennis Center.

UT (8-3, 2-1 SEC), ranked No. 17 in the nation, played its first home match in more than a month but didn't threaten an upset of No. 5 Florida (9-1, 3-0).

"We really tried to focus on the process and not so much the outcome," said UT co-head coach Sonia Hahn-Patrick, whose husband Mike is co-head coach. "We've been on the road so many weeks in a row I would have liked to have seen our team use the home-court advantage a little bit more, and I think that's something they'll have to get used to after being gone for so long, but they competed hard.

"We're still tinkering around with our lineup and trying to get everything formulated in the right place."

The Lady Vols have been shut out by Florida in each of the last four matches spanning three seasons, and their 32-match losing streak to the Gators dates to 1982.

"I think sometimes it's harder not so much for Mike and I because we know every year that everything is so different," Hahn-Patrick said of the losing streak.

"In some ways it's difficult when you have a young team because they don't have the experience and are not as polished to play against a team that's ranked (No. 5) in the country, but then again it's nice when you have a young team because they don't know the history of everything, so they kind of go in with a fresh look."

Florida's victory set up an SEC showdown Sunday at No. 3 Georgia. Since a 4-3 loss to No. 10 Duke on Feb. 15, Florida has beaten six consecutive teams ranked in the top 27.

Four of Florida's singles players are ranked nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association: Julia Cohen (No. 42), Csilla Borsanyi (No. 29), Megan Alexander (No. 114), and Anastasia Revzina (No. 89).

"We don't fall off at five and six (singles) like most teams, so that's a tremendous strength of this team," Florida coach Roland Thornqvist said. "Plus I think our doubles play has been real good."

UT, however, ended Florida's spring-season winning streak in doubles. The Lady Vols' No. 2 doubles team of Ghizela Schutte and Rosalia Alda beat Whitney Benik and Lolita Frangulyan 8-3 for the Gators' first doubles loss this spring.

Florida still won the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles.

Tennessee's Caitlin Whoriskey, ranked No. 61, didn't play No. 1 singles because of nagging injuries but could return for Sunday's home match against No. 29 South Carolina.

At No. 2 singles, Borsanyi beat UT's Zsofia Zubor 7-6 (6), 6-1 in a match pairing sophomores from Hungary. The two have known each other since they were about 9 years old.

"When we went to the net to shake hands," Zubor said, "(Borsanyi) said, 'I hate playing against you.' "

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.