Underclassman Shine as Gators Rout Rebels, 6-1

Sunday, March 20

Gainesville, FL

1:00 PM

Florida Gators

Ole Miss

Alfredo Perez and Chase Perez-Blanco continued their winning ways in doubles on Sunday afternoon against Ole Miss

Underclassman Shine as Gators Rout Rebels, 6-1

Sunday, March 20, 2016 | Men's Tennis

By: Grace Duggan

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 24 University of Florida men's tennis team picked up their second victory over a Top-25 SEC opponent on Sunday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators defeated the No. 22 Ole Miss Rebels, 6-1 to move to 4-1 in Southeastern Conference play.

The Gators secured the doubles point to grab the early lead for the fourth consecutive match on Sunday afternoon. Alfredo Perez and Chase Perez-Blanco continued their undefeated streak against SEC opponents with a 6-3 win over Lindmark and Hansson on three. UF juniors Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin got their second consecutive SEC doubles win by defeating Fallert and Hamilton, 6-4 on court two.

Florida got their first singles win on court three from Perez. The Gator freshman pushed his singles winning streak to eight matches with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Fabian Fallert. Doubles partner Perez-Blanco was the next off the court with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Filip Kraljevic. Freshman McClain Kessler would clinch the match on court six for the Orange and Blue with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Vinod Gowda.

UF is on the road next weekend taking on Alabama and Mississippi State over the Easter holiday.

Assistant Coach Mark Merklein
On how the team was physically prepared for two Top-25 matches this weekend…
"That was a concern, coming in. We knew we had two really tough teams this weekend. Physically, we are training hard. The guys are doing work day in and day out. That is really all we can control is being fit and knowing that we are ready to compete and they are doing that. The guys have really bonded well and bought into the work piece of it. It gives them a chance to compete against anybody, any day."

On playing out the singles match and physical aspect of the match…
"It is tough. The match is over, but the guys continue to fight for the team and for themselves. Physically, you have to dig deep for the match because it is extended. Elliott, again, is a guy that is never going to give up. I can say that across the board with all of the guys on our team. No one is going to give in whether the match is live or not. That is what makes this group special and I feel like we have a great opportunity this year to do some damage."

Final Results
#24 Florida 6, #22 Ole Miss 1
Doubles-Order of Finish: 3, 2*