Friday, March 3
Gainesville, FL
5:00 PM
Florida Gators
vs
#27 Texas A&M
Freshman Johannes Ingildsen will once again hold down the No. 4 position for the Gators this weekend.
Battle-tested Gators Ready to Open SEC Season at Home
Thursday, March 2, 2017 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After nearly six months of individual tournaments in the fall and ten non-conference matches this spring, the No. 13 Gators will begin conference play this weekend. Florida will host its first two SEC opponents of the 2017 season, with Texas A&M on Friday (March 3) and LSU on Sunday (March 5).
The Aggies will prove to be tough competition for the Gators, as Texas A&M holds a 7-4 record over Florida. The Gators have not beaten the Aggies since the 2013 season, where they won a close 4-3 match at home.
As for Sunday's match-up, Florida holds a 29-27-1 record over LSU. The Gators defeated the Tigers 4-0 at home earlier this season in the championship round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, although that does not mean Sunday will prove to be an easy win for the home team. LSU heads to South Carolina on Friday – a team they beat 4-3 last season – meaning the Tigers will travel to Gainesville after warming up with a tough conference match on the road.
"I think more than anything we're just excited, we know that we've got a great conference," head coach Bryan Shelton said of the weekend. "It's great to be a part of the SEC where we get so many looks at great competition every single weekend once we get started."
The Gators opened conference play last season traveling to LSU and Texas A&M in the same weekend, defeating LSU and falling to Texas A&M. Florida has proven that a home court advantage isn't a myth, as the team went on a 6-0 run at home this season before losing to No. 2 Ohio State, and earned a 12-1 record at home in the 2016 dual season, falling only to the eventual national champion Virginia.
SEC Outlook
Florida was predicted to finish second in the SEC in the coaches' preseason poll in January, behind only the 2016 SEC Champion, Georgia. Despite defeating the Gators to improve to a title-earning 12-0 SEC record, Florida took down Georgia in the final round of the 2016 SEC Tournament to win the title.
Georgia started its season with a 4-5 record, falling to both UCLA and USC in the Pac-12/SEC Showdown in Gainesville – two teams that the Gators beat. Even though conference play hasn't started, it's already looking like the race to the 2017 SEC title will be a close one.
"Our guys are really gearing up for the SEC season and they know that that's the most important part of our year as far as the competition goes," Shelton said. "These matches leading up just prepare us for the SEC. We know it'll be tough battles every week, but we'll be battle tested."
Match Breakdown
No. 13 Florida Gators (7-4) vs. No. 27 Texas A&M Aggies (5-3)
Friday, March 3rd, 2017 | 5:00 PM
Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex | Gainesville, Fla.
Blackout Match – Wear black!
The first 200 fans will get a free black Gators men's tennis t-shirt
Oracle/ITA Rankings – Feb. 22
No. 13 Florida Gators (7-4) vs. LSU Tigers (2-6)
Sunday, March 5th, 2017 | 1:00 PM
Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex | Gainesville, Fla.
Oracle/ITA Rankings – Feb. 22
SEC Teams in the Oracle/ITA Rankings
13 – Florida
14 – Mississippi State
15 – Kentucky
19 – South Carolina
22 – Georgia
27 – Texas A&M
30 – Vanderbilt
38 – Tennessee
49 – Auburn
Follow the Gators
Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
FloridaGators.com
The Aggies will prove to be tough competition for the Gators, as Texas A&M holds a 7-4 record over Florida. The Gators have not beaten the Aggies since the 2013 season, where they won a close 4-3 match at home.
As for Sunday's match-up, Florida holds a 29-27-1 record over LSU. The Gators defeated the Tigers 4-0 at home earlier this season in the championship round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, although that does not mean Sunday will prove to be an easy win for the home team. LSU heads to South Carolina on Friday – a team they beat 4-3 last season – meaning the Tigers will travel to Gainesville after warming up with a tough conference match on the road.
"I think more than anything we're just excited, we know that we've got a great conference," head coach Bryan Shelton said of the weekend. "It's great to be a part of the SEC where we get so many looks at great competition every single weekend once we get started."
The Gators opened conference play last season traveling to LSU and Texas A&M in the same weekend, defeating LSU and falling to Texas A&M. Florida has proven that a home court advantage isn't a myth, as the team went on a 6-0 run at home this season before losing to No. 2 Ohio State, and earned a 12-1 record at home in the 2016 dual season, falling only to the eventual national champion Virginia.
SEC Outlook
Florida was predicted to finish second in the SEC in the coaches' preseason poll in January, behind only the 2016 SEC Champion, Georgia. Despite defeating the Gators to improve to a title-earning 12-0 SEC record, Florida took down Georgia in the final round of the 2016 SEC Tournament to win the title.
Georgia started its season with a 4-5 record, falling to both UCLA and USC in the Pac-12/SEC Showdown in Gainesville – two teams that the Gators beat. Even though conference play hasn't started, it's already looking like the race to the 2017 SEC title will be a close one.
"Our guys are really gearing up for the SEC season and they know that that's the most important part of our year as far as the competition goes," Shelton said. "These matches leading up just prepare us for the SEC. We know it'll be tough battles every week, but we'll be battle tested."
Match Breakdown
No. 13 Florida Gators (7-4) vs. No. 27 Texas A&M Aggies (5-3)
Friday, March 3rd, 2017 | 5:00 PM
Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex | Gainesville, Fla.
Blackout Match – Wear black!
The first 200 fans will get a free black Gators men's tennis t-shirt
Oracle/ITA Rankings – Feb. 22
- Florida
- Singles
- 6 – Alfredo Perez
- 92 – Elliott Orkin
- 120 – Jordan Belga
- Doubles
- 9 – Ingildsen/Perez
- Singles
- Texas A&M
- Singles
- 16 – Arthur Rinderknech
- Doubles
- 19 – Lunkin/Rinderknech
- Singles
No. 13 Florida Gators (7-4) vs. LSU Tigers (2-6)
Sunday, March 5th, 2017 | 1:00 PM
Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex | Gainesville, Fla.
Oracle/ITA Rankings – Feb. 22
- Florida
- Singles
- 6 – Alfredo Perez
- 92 – Elliott Orkin
- 120 – Jordan Belga
- Doubles
- 9 – Ingildsen/Perez
- Singles
- LSU
- Singles
- 41 – Justin Butsch
- Singles
SEC Teams in the Oracle/ITA Rankings
13 – Florida
14 – Mississippi State
15 – Kentucky
19 – South Carolina
22 – Georgia
27 – Texas A&M
30 – Vanderbilt
38 – Tennessee
49 – Auburn
Follow the Gators
Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
FloridaGators.com
Players Mentioned
Inside Florida Gators Men's Tennis
Wednesday, July 17
One-on-One with Coach Steinberg 3-7-24
Thursday, March 07
Bryan Shelton Postmatch 2-2-23
Saturday, February 04
Jonah Braswell Postmatch 2-2-23
Saturday, February 04
