Florida Opens Final Regular-Season Home Weekend with LSU
Thursday, April 2, 2015 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the first of their two final regular-season matches at home, the No. 16 Florida Gators host No. 25 LSU on Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m. at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
Florida looks to even the all-time series with LSU, as the Gators currently trail the Tigers, 26-27-1.
The Gators are coming off a 4-1 road win over No. 45 Auburn. Despite dropping a close doubles point, Florida rallied in singles action and rattled off four-straight individual victories. Freshman Jordan Belga and redshirt freshman Joshua Wardell both earned their first career SEC singles victories in the win. Additionally, Belga earned the match-clinching win for the first time in his rookie year as a Gator.
Shelton's Notes – Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On the importance of Diego Hidalgo emerging as a team leader…
I think it's big. For Diego, he's a high-energy guy anyway. It's just nice to see him play more aggressively. I think that was the difference in this past match. He's won a lot of matches this year, but he hasn't always gone out there and played his very best tennis. On Saturday, he was closer to his high end. Obviously he won 6-0, 6-0, so he had a lot of success on the court, but it was the way he went about it. He served bigger. He hit his forehand bigger. He just played more aggressively with his positioning on the court. So he did a lot of things we've been talking about, and it's one thing to talk about those things. It's another thing to go out there and have the fortitude to make it happen. I was glad to see him make it happen on Saturday. We need to come back this week and regroup and do it again.
Last Time:
Florida topped LSU twice last year: once in the regular season (4-0) and again in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament (4-0).
Gator Firsts:
Both Jordan Belga and Joshua Wardell earned their first career SEC singles victories in the 4-1 win against Auburn. Belga also recorded his first-ever match-clinching win for the Gators.
Strive for Five:
Chase Perez-Blanco and Elliott Orkin lead UF with five SEC singles wins apiece. Perez-Blanco remains undefeated in conference singles.
Big Impact Early:
Freshman Chase Perez-Blanco is making a big impact in his first year with the Florida Gators. The rookie was deservingly named SEC Freshman of the Week on March 18. Perez-Blanco is unbeaten in SEC dual match singles and leads the Gators with a 10-1 dual singles record. He's recorded a singles point for Florida in five of the squad's last six wins.
The Road That Lies Ahead:
With just four regular-season matches remaining, the next two will be played in Gainesville against two opponents currently ranked in the top-25.
PROMOTIONS: Popsicle Giveaway – The first 150 fans in attendance receive a free popsicle
#16 Florida (10-6, 5-3) vs. #25 LSU (15-4, 5-3)
Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m.
Scott Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, Gainesville, Fla.
Live Stats: http://www.gatorzone.com/tennis/live/?sport=tennm&live_match=12404
Notes: http://www.gatorzone.com/tennis/men/stats/notes/pre/20150403170000.pdf
FOLLOW THE GATORS:
