No. 13 Florida Opens 2015 Season with William & Mary Saturday
Friday, January 9, 2015 | Men's Tennis
The No. 13-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team kicks off the 2015 season with William & Mary on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 11 a.m. at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville. Head coach Bryan Shelton enters his third season at the helm.
The Gators look to protect their perfect record versus the Tribe, as they are 2-0 against William & Mary all-time.
Florida opens the season ranked No. 13 according to the ITA Division I men's rankings. Additionally, three Gators and four Florida doubles teams have been selected to the opening rankings of 2015. Sophomore Maxx Lipman, a captain of this year's squad, leads the singles rankings for the Orange & Blue at No. 34. Junior Diego Hidalgo earned the No. 60 slot following a 14-4 fall singles season, while sophomore Elliott Orkin checks in at No. 81.
The Gators' No. 32-ranked duo featuring Hidalgo and team captain Gordon Watson looks to lead the Florida doubles effort following an 11-1 campaign this fall, including the SEC Fall Classic doubles title. Other ranked doubles teams include a pair of redshirt freshmen, No. 43 Joshua Wardell and Oliver Landert, as well as sophomores Lipman and Orkin (No. 49) and rookie tandem Chase Perez-Blanco and Jordan Belga (No. 50).
Shelton's Notes – Head Coach Bryan Shelton
“I think we've got an unselfish group. Because of that, I don't think we'll have too many egos involved as far as where we set the line-up, who's out there starting, who's not starting, so I think that's one of our strengths is that we don't have a selfish team. I feel like we've got a lot of depth, so that's going to give us opportunities to play multiple guys throughout the season. We're very young, and with that, people might look at the inexperience, but I look at a team that's hungry, that's driven, comes out to practice and works hard each day. That's going to serve us well throughout the whole season.”
2014 Recap:
The Gators hope to ride their momentum from a deep run into last year's NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Round of 16 and dropped a hard-fought 4-3 match to Ohio State. The 2015 schedule features a Gators vs. Buckeyes rematch on Tuesday, March 10 at 3 p.m. in Gainesville.
What's Back for 2015:
Florida welcomes back senior Richard Brej, juniors Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson and sophomores Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin.
What's New for the Orange & Blue:
Redshirt freshmen Oliver Landert and Josh Wardell, and true freshmen Jordan Belga and Chase Perez-Blanco look to make their spring debuts this season after competing for the Gators this fall.
Season-Opening Success:
UF has started 3-0 or better in each of the past four seasons, including 6-0 starts in 2011 and 2013. Florida has won its opening match for 26-straight years. The last time the Gators lost an opening match was in 1988, when they dropped a 5-3 match to Indiana in Gainesville.
A Tough Test:
The Gators will be tested throughout the 2015 season, as they are slated to face nine top 25 teams, including five of the top 10 teams.
Florida vs. William & Mary
Saturday, Jan. 10 at 11 a.m.
Scott Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex (Free admission, free parking)
Live Stats: http://www.gatorzone.com/tennis/live/?sport=tennm&live_match=12501
Notes: http://www.gatorzone.com/tennis/men/stats/notes/pre/20150110110000.pdf
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