Friday, April 8
Athens, Ga.
5:00 PM
Florida Gators
at
Georgia
Seniors Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson celebrate a point in their match against the No. 2-ranked UVA pairing on Wednesday night.
Florida Chases SEC Goals into Georgia on Friday Night
Thursday, April 7, 2016 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the beginning of the season, the No. 14 University of Florida men's tennis team set a goal: to win an SEC Championship in 2016. The goal is on the line on Friday night when they face off against the No. 7 University of Georgia Bulldogs at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
Florida and Georgia sit alone in the top two spots of the SEC team standings. The Bulldogs are undefeated at 8-0 and the Gators took an early loss to Texas A&M as motivation to win six-straight SEC matches for a 7-1 record.
The long history between the two teams shows itself in the all-time series records. UGA's record indicate that they lead the series, 57-19, while UF's records show the Bulldogs only lead 61-39-1.
In the end, the only match that matters is the one tomorrow night in Athens. Florida has not won a regular season SEC contest in Athens since April 14, 2000. The Gators are coming off a 5-2 loss to the defending NCAA Champions, the No. 3-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday night at the Ring Tennis Complex in front of 450-plus fans.
On Wednesday night, the Gators showed a great deal of resiliency in doubles play. Alfredo Perez and Chase Perez-Blanco continued to play well in doubles with another 6-4 win at No. 3 to set the stage for a deciding match on court one. The No. 3-ranked pairing of Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson battled the No. 2-ranked tandem of Corinteli and Shane in a match that ended in the Orange and Blue's favor, 6-4 and clinched the point for the Gators.
First serve with the Bulldogs is set for 5 p.m. ET with another Top-5 doubles match on deck: No. 3 Hidalgo and Watson pitted against No. 4 Smith and Wagland. The Florida pairing defeated the Georgia duo at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championship semifinal on their way to the title last October.
Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On Friday's rivalry match against the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs…
"It is huge. With UGA, our goals are tied to that match. This team has set the goal early on that they wanted to be conference champions. There is only one way to get that done. We have to win on Friday night. Our guys know it, so our backs are up against the wall. Georgia is undefeated right now in the league. We have a loss. Our guys will be ready to play."
Last Serve with the Bulldogs
After dropping the doubles point, the Gators were only able to grab one singles win from Elliott Orkin on court four. Florida fell to Georgia, 4-1 on Feb. 7, 2015 in Gainesville.
Series History against Georgia
Georgia leads the all-time series, 39-61-1.
Top-3 in Doubles
In the recent Oracle ITA Rankings, senior tandem Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson sit at No. 3 in the nation. Last night in Florida's contest against UVA, the pairing defeated the No. 2-ranked duo of Shane and Corintelli, 6-4 to pick up their second win over a No. 2-ranked doubles tandem.
Freshmen Impressing Early
The Gators have seen a large of amount of production from freshmen Alfredo Perez and McClain Kessler in the dual match season. Kessler has clinched two of UF's 12 wins this season. Perez has compiled a stellar 12-3 singles dual match record, while also garnering two SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Match Information
#14 Florida vs. #7 Bulldogs
Friday, April 8 at 5 p.m. ET
Dan Magill Tennis Complex | Athens, Ga.
Live Stats
Live Video
Match Notes
Follow the Gators:
FloridaGators.com
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Florida and Georgia sit alone in the top two spots of the SEC team standings. The Bulldogs are undefeated at 8-0 and the Gators took an early loss to Texas A&M as motivation to win six-straight SEC matches for a 7-1 record.
The long history between the two teams shows itself in the all-time series records. UGA's record indicate that they lead the series, 57-19, while UF's records show the Bulldogs only lead 61-39-1.
In the end, the only match that matters is the one tomorrow night in Athens. Florida has not won a regular season SEC contest in Athens since April 14, 2000. The Gators are coming off a 5-2 loss to the defending NCAA Champions, the No. 3-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday night at the Ring Tennis Complex in front of 450-plus fans.
On Wednesday night, the Gators showed a great deal of resiliency in doubles play. Alfredo Perez and Chase Perez-Blanco continued to play well in doubles with another 6-4 win at No. 3 to set the stage for a deciding match on court one. The No. 3-ranked pairing of Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson battled the No. 2-ranked tandem of Corinteli and Shane in a match that ended in the Orange and Blue's favor, 6-4 and clinched the point for the Gators.
First serve with the Bulldogs is set for 5 p.m. ET with another Top-5 doubles match on deck: No. 3 Hidalgo and Watson pitted against No. 4 Smith and Wagland. The Florida pairing defeated the Georgia duo at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championship semifinal on their way to the title last October.
Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On Friday's rivalry match against the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs…
"It is huge. With UGA, our goals are tied to that match. This team has set the goal early on that they wanted to be conference champions. There is only one way to get that done. We have to win on Friday night. Our guys know it, so our backs are up against the wall. Georgia is undefeated right now in the league. We have a loss. Our guys will be ready to play."
Last Serve with the Bulldogs
After dropping the doubles point, the Gators were only able to grab one singles win from Elliott Orkin on court four. Florida fell to Georgia, 4-1 on Feb. 7, 2015 in Gainesville.
Series History against Georgia
Georgia leads the all-time series, 39-61-1.
Top-3 in Doubles
In the recent Oracle ITA Rankings, senior tandem Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson sit at No. 3 in the nation. Last night in Florida's contest against UVA, the pairing defeated the No. 2-ranked duo of Shane and Corintelli, 6-4 to pick up their second win over a No. 2-ranked doubles tandem.
Freshmen Impressing Early
The Gators have seen a large of amount of production from freshmen Alfredo Perez and McClain Kessler in the dual match season. Kessler has clinched two of UF's 12 wins this season. Perez has compiled a stellar 12-3 singles dual match record, while also garnering two SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Match Information
#14 Florida vs. #7 Bulldogs
Friday, April 8 at 5 p.m. ET
Dan Magill Tennis Complex | Athens, Ga.
Live Stats
Live Video
Match Notes
Follow the Gators:
FloridaGators.com
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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