Men's Tennis Gears Up for ITA National Team Indoor Championship
Thursday, February 11, 2010 | Men's Tennis
The University of Florida's 11th-ranked men's tennis team opens competition in the 2010 ITA National Team Indoor Championship at 9 a.m. on Friday at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va.
The Gators (4-1) open with a rematch against No. 6 Baylor (5-0) in the opening round. The teams faced off earlier this season in Waco, Texas, with the Bears handing UF its only loss of the spring, 5-2.
“They're very experienced, very tough, very well-coached,” said head coach Andy Jackson. “We're eager to get a chance to play them again.”
In addition to host University of Virginia, the other 15 schools participating are winners of ITA Kick-Off weekend events held around the nation Jan. 29 through Feb. 1. Six of the 16 teams at the ITA Indoors come from the Southeastern Conference.
Regardless of outcomes, Florida will play three matches in three days against some of the nation's top competition. Teams reaching the final will play a fourth match on Monday at noon for the championship.
“We've only played five matches in three weeks, so this is a very big week for us,” Jackson said. “We're going to get a lot of results, a lot of feedback from where we are. It's still three months until the NCAAs, so it'll give us feedback at a good time where we'll have a lot of time to work on it. We're very excited to go to Virginia for the Indoor [Championship], and we're looking forward to the week.”
Redshirt senior Antoine Benneteau (Boulogne-Billancourt, France) and sophomore Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.) both hold a 5-0 singles record in dual match play this season, while seventh-ranked junior Alexandre Lacroix (Paris, France) sits at 4-1 in the No. 1 position. Benneteau and Lacroix also make up the No. 10 doubles pair in the nation, holding a 16-1 record in 2009-10. The pair has won seven consecutive matches, including four victories in dual matches this spring.
Florida will take the courts at 9 a.m. on Saturday also, facing either No. 3 Ohio State or No. 16 Louisville, depending on the outcome of Friday's matches. Sunday's action will take place at either 3 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.
Results and links to live scoring will be available on www.GatorZone.com. Complete tournament information can be found on the ITA's website or Virginia's official athletic site.
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