No. 7 Men's Tennis Set to Kick Off SEC Schedule
Thursday, March 4, 2010 | Men's Tennis
The No. 7 University of Florida men's tennis team (8-2) will open its SEC schedule this weekend on the road, facing Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday and LSU at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The Gators will face each conference opponent once during the regular season, with six of those matches coming at home this season. UF has finished fourth or better in the SEC every season since Andy Jackson became head coach before the 2002 season. Last year, Florida posted a 7-4 mark in conference play to tie for fourth and reached the semifinals of the postseason SEC Tournament.
“[The SEC season] really gets you ready for the NCAAs and we're looking forward to it,” Jackson said. “I don't know if we're where we should be, but we're more prepared than we were two months ago when it started.
“We definitely expect to be in contention. At the same time, we don't underestimate anyone. The SEC is hardly ever down in any sport. When it's 'down' in men's tennis, there are three teams in the top 10. This year is not a down year. It's an 'up' year. It's going to be rough, but we're one of the reasons why it's going to be rough.”
The Gators head into the weekend led by the nation's No. 6 singles player, Alexandre Lacroix (Paris, France), who is 7-2 at the No. 1 position. Antoine Benneteau (Boulogne-Billancourt, France), who holds an 8-1 mark in dual match play, is the only other Gator appearing in the singles rankings, checking in at No. 121. The pair also constitutes the 16th-rated doubles pair nationally and holds a 20-2 mark in 2009-10.
UF also receives veteran leadership from sophomore Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.), who has appeared at the No. 2 singles position in the past five matches for Florida and picked up the clinching point last Sunday vs. Illinois.
In addition, Bob Van Overbeek (Boca Raton, Fla.) has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week in each of the past two weeks and holds a 5-3 record in dual singles.
Asserting themselves as a deep team this spring, the Gators' most consistent points in dual play have come at the No. 5 and No. 6 position, where they hold a combined 17-2 mark with just one loss in each spot.
Sekou Bangoura Jr. (Bradenton, Fla.), who has also received SEC Freshman of the Week honors this spring, leads Florida with five appearances on the fifth court, going 4-1 there. The sixth spot has been manned most often by Nassim Slilam (Paris, France), who has managed a 6-1 mark on that court.
Arkansas possesses an 8-4 record this spring, but comes into Friday's match on a four-match winning streak and victorious in eight of its past nine outings. LSU currently holds a 2-5 record with a Friday showdown against South Carolina on tap before the Tigers face Florida on Sunday. LSU's pair of victories came against in-state foes UL-Lafayette and New Orleans.
Check www.GatorZone.com for updates and results.
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