Saturday, February 4
Gainesville, FL
1:30 PM
Florida Gators
4
vs
3
#8 USC
Gators Down No. 8 Trojans in 4-3 Upset Win
Saturday, February 4, 2017 | Men's Tennis
UF vs. USC Results | UGA vs. UCLA Results
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 11 Florida Gators defeated the No. 8 Southern California Trojans Saturday in the biggest win of the Gators' 2017 season so far. Florida improves to a 5-0 record at home to start the season – its best since the 2012-13 season.
Florida lost its first doubles point of the season, but a quick and easy 6-1, 6-2 win by Alfredo Perez gave the Gators the momentum they needed. Elliott Orkin earned the second point for the Gators, defeating the Trojans' Nick Crystal 6-3, 6-3 in a hard-fought match. Johannes Ingildsen and McClain Kessler finished next for the Gators, earning the third and fourth points, respectively, to clinch the match.
This win is important for the Gators, as this is both their first ranked win and upset win of the 2017 season. The last time Florida defeated USC was on February 21, 2003 in Louisville, Kentucky. The Gators improve to a 3-7 all-time record against the Trojans with this win.
The Gators hope to carry this momentum into Sunday's match against No. 6 UCLA – who defeated No. 5 Georgia 4-3 Saturday morning. The Gators will take on the Bruins at 1:30 p.m. in their second and final match of the 2017 Pac-12/SEC Showdown.
Quoting Head Coach Bryan Shelton
"I think the guys were pleased with the overall result, and they expressed that, but they were also very quick to say 'we've got another opportunity tomorrow.' That's what I love about these guys, is that they're hungry. They feel like we can accomplish some great things this year and they understand that we didn't do everything perfectly today. It was a really good win, but we're in a position to close out sets and matches in places that we didn't today. I think these guys are just hungry and want to get back after it again tomorrow."
On how the team was able to come out and win after losing the doubles point...
"I think one of those buzzwords that's out there these days is resiliency. We certainly talk about that a lot; about adversity and how you're going to deal with it when it comes, and trying to prepare each day in practice to come and compete hard against one another so that we feel that adversity on the other side of the net more often. For us to lose a doubles point for the first time – especially when we had match points to win the doubles point – it would've been easy to put our heads down for a minute or two. Instead we came out and won five of the first six sets in singles, and really set the tone and sent the message early that you're not going to roll through us, and we're resilient and we're tough and we're going to continue to compete until the last ball is struck."
Schedule of Events
Sunday, February 5th, 2017
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 8 USC | 10 AM
No. 11 Florida vs. No. 6 UCLA | 1:30 PM
Follow the Gators
Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
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FloridaGators.com
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 11 Florida Gators defeated the No. 8 Southern California Trojans Saturday in the biggest win of the Gators' 2017 season so far. Florida improves to a 5-0 record at home to start the season – its best since the 2012-13 season.
Florida lost its first doubles point of the season, but a quick and easy 6-1, 6-2 win by Alfredo Perez gave the Gators the momentum they needed. Elliott Orkin earned the second point for the Gators, defeating the Trojans' Nick Crystal 6-3, 6-3 in a hard-fought match. Johannes Ingildsen and McClain Kessler finished next for the Gators, earning the third and fourth points, respectively, to clinch the match.
This win is important for the Gators, as this is both their first ranked win and upset win of the 2017 season. The last time Florida defeated USC was on February 21, 2003 in Louisville, Kentucky. The Gators improve to a 3-7 all-time record against the Trojans with this win.
The Gators hope to carry this momentum into Sunday's match against No. 6 UCLA – who defeated No. 5 Georgia 4-3 Saturday morning. The Gators will take on the Bruins at 1:30 p.m. in their second and final match of the 2017 Pac-12/SEC Showdown.
Quoting Head Coach Bryan Shelton
"I think the guys were pleased with the overall result, and they expressed that, but they were also very quick to say 'we've got another opportunity tomorrow.' That's what I love about these guys, is that they're hungry. They feel like we can accomplish some great things this year and they understand that we didn't do everything perfectly today. It was a really good win, but we're in a position to close out sets and matches in places that we didn't today. I think these guys are just hungry and want to get back after it again tomorrow."
On how the team was able to come out and win after losing the doubles point...
"I think one of those buzzwords that's out there these days is resiliency. We certainly talk about that a lot; about adversity and how you're going to deal with it when it comes, and trying to prepare each day in practice to come and compete hard against one another so that we feel that adversity on the other side of the net more often. For us to lose a doubles point for the first time – especially when we had match points to win the doubles point – it would've been easy to put our heads down for a minute or two. Instead we came out and won five of the first six sets in singles, and really set the tone and sent the message early that you're not going to roll through us, and we're resilient and we're tough and we're going to continue to compete until the last ball is struck."
Schedule of Events
Sunday, February 5th, 2017
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 8 USC | 10 AM
No. 11 Florida vs. No. 6 UCLA | 1:30 PM
Follow the Gators
Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
FloridaGators.com
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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