Thursday, March 30
Tuscaloosa, AL
7:00 PM
Florida Gators
at
Alabama
Sophomore McClain Kessler returns to the lineup this week, hoping to compete in his first dual match of the 2017 season (Photo: Courtney Culbreath / UAA Communications)
Gators Prepared to be Challenged on the Road
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida men's tennis team hits the road for the next two weeks to take on four consecutive SEC opponents. The Gators' 5-1 conference record puts it in a tie with Mississippi State for third in the SEC, behind two undefeated teams – Georgia and Texas A&M (7-0 SEC).
First up for the No. 12 Gators is Alabama on Thursday, March 30th, and No. 24 Kentucky on Saturday, April 1st. The team will then turn around and visit Georgia and Tennessee the following weekend before closing out the regular season at home.
"To win on the road in our league is so difficult, but going in there with some momentum certainly helps," said head coach Bryan Shelton. "I think momentum is real if you believe it, if you feel like you're going to do well you probably will."
Florida needs to pick up a few wins over the next two weeks if it wants to keep its vision of an SEC title alive. With only one conference loss, the Gators still have a chance to end up on top.
"We've got to band together on the road," Shelton said. "It's kind of us against the world when you go on the road. Our guys have got to really lock in, stay connected, stay engaged, and continue to battle. I'm looking forward to the tests that lie ahead."
Florida vs. Ranked Opponents
Florida has not played an unranked team since it hosted LSU on March 5th, where the Gators defeated the Tigers 4-3. The Gators have faced 13 ranked teams so far this season, five of which it has seen following the LSU match.
The Gators currently hold a 7-6 record over ranked opponents this season, and a 5-0 record over unranked opponents. Playing on the road has proven to be a tougher battle for the Gators this season, as the team is 3-4 outside of Gainesville against Ranked opponents (2-1 true road matches, 1-3 neutral), although that number includes top-20 teams Virginia (1), Texas (11), Mississippi State (16) and Oklahoma (14).
Scouting Alabama
Florida holds a 37-20 all-time record over Alabama, where the Gators have won nine of the last 10 matches in the series.
The Crimson Tide has a 1-6 conference record, starting off SEC play 0-5 before defeating LSU at home on March 19th. Alabama hosts Florida, South Carolina and Jackson State less than a week after falling to undefeated Georgia in Athens.
In the lineup, Thursday's competition will feature three ranked duals. No. 7 Alfredo Perez will face No. 35 Mazen Osama in the first position, while No. 106 Elliott Orkin will compete against No. 105 Thibault Cancel in the second position. In the doubles competition, the No. 6 team of Perez and Johannes Ingildsen will take on the No. 40 team of Osama and Spencer Richey.
Scouting Kentucky
Florida holds a 46-14 all-time record over Kentucky, where the Gators have won 10 of the last 13 matches in the series.
The Wildcats have a 3-4 conference record and are currently on a two-match losing streak, falling to South Carolina and Mississippi State in close 4-3 decisions. Kentucky will head to Vanderbilt on Thursday before returning home to host Florida.
No. 7 Perez will face No. 17 William Bushamuka at the No. 1 position, No. 106 Elliott Orkin will face No. 24 Ryotaro Matsumura at the No. 2 position, and unranked Johannes Ingildsen will look for a ranked win against No. 113 Nils Ellefsen at the fourth position. In the doubles competition, No. 6 Ingildsen/Perez will face No. 27 Pennington/Wallart on the first court, while the unranked team of Lipman/Orkin will face off against No. 77 Bushamuka/Ellefsen in the second position.
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First up for the No. 12 Gators is Alabama on Thursday, March 30th, and No. 24 Kentucky on Saturday, April 1st. The team will then turn around and visit Georgia and Tennessee the following weekend before closing out the regular season at home.
"To win on the road in our league is so difficult, but going in there with some momentum certainly helps," said head coach Bryan Shelton. "I think momentum is real if you believe it, if you feel like you're going to do well you probably will."
Florida needs to pick up a few wins over the next two weeks if it wants to keep its vision of an SEC title alive. With only one conference loss, the Gators still have a chance to end up on top.
"We've got to band together on the road," Shelton said. "It's kind of us against the world when you go on the road. Our guys have got to really lock in, stay connected, stay engaged, and continue to battle. I'm looking forward to the tests that lie ahead."
Florida vs. Ranked Opponents
Florida has not played an unranked team since it hosted LSU on March 5th, where the Gators defeated the Tigers 4-3. The Gators have faced 13 ranked teams so far this season, five of which it has seen following the LSU match.
The Gators currently hold a 7-6 record over ranked opponents this season, and a 5-0 record over unranked opponents. Playing on the road has proven to be a tougher battle for the Gators this season, as the team is 3-4 outside of Gainesville against Ranked opponents (2-1 true road matches, 1-3 neutral), although that number includes top-20 teams Virginia (1), Texas (11), Mississippi State (16) and Oklahoma (14).
Scouting Alabama
Florida holds a 37-20 all-time record over Alabama, where the Gators have won nine of the last 10 matches in the series.
The Crimson Tide has a 1-6 conference record, starting off SEC play 0-5 before defeating LSU at home on March 19th. Alabama hosts Florida, South Carolina and Jackson State less than a week after falling to undefeated Georgia in Athens.
In the lineup, Thursday's competition will feature three ranked duals. No. 7 Alfredo Perez will face No. 35 Mazen Osama in the first position, while No. 106 Elliott Orkin will compete against No. 105 Thibault Cancel in the second position. In the doubles competition, the No. 6 team of Perez and Johannes Ingildsen will take on the No. 40 team of Osama and Spencer Richey.
Scouting Kentucky
Florida holds a 46-14 all-time record over Kentucky, where the Gators have won 10 of the last 13 matches in the series.
The Wildcats have a 3-4 conference record and are currently on a two-match losing streak, falling to South Carolina and Mississippi State in close 4-3 decisions. Kentucky will head to Vanderbilt on Thursday before returning home to host Florida.
No. 7 Perez will face No. 17 William Bushamuka at the No. 1 position, No. 106 Elliott Orkin will face No. 24 Ryotaro Matsumura at the No. 2 position, and unranked Johannes Ingildsen will look for a ranked win against No. 113 Nils Ellefsen at the fourth position. In the doubles competition, No. 6 Ingildsen/Perez will face No. 27 Pennington/Wallart on the first court, while the unranked team of Lipman/Orkin will face off against No. 77 Bushamuka/Ellefsen in the second position.
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
