Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It's finally here: the home stretch.

As the Florida men's tennis team wraps up the regular season, it still has its sights set on a high standing in the postseason. With only two home matches left against a couple of tough teams, nothing will be handed to the Gators this weekend – they're going to have to work for it.

The first matchup will be Friday night against Mississippi State. With the Gators ranked 16^th and the Bulldogs sitting in the No. 17 position, both teams are expecting steep competition.
"They're a super competitive team, and we're going to have our hands full," said head coach Bryan Shelton. "We're going to have to come out and play one of the best matches of the year. I think both teams realize that there's a lot riding on it."

While the Gators transition from a top-20 opponent on Friday to facing unranked Auburn on Sunday, the team knows it cannot afford any mistakes. If the Gators can hold a top-4 standing in the conference, they will get a bye in the first round of the SEC Tournament. With two wins, the team will likely stay ranked in the top-16 of the Oracle/ITA Team Rankings, meaning they will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament – both are huge postseason advantages.

Coach Shelton notes that the team's mindset has stayed focused this season, and they are all taking it one match at a time. With the momentum from a win on the road, and the comfort of home, the team is hoping to stay focused and earn two wins this weekend.

"It's going to come down to how we execute under pressure and how we manage that energy throughout the match. We've got to be gamers out there and be able to step up in big moments."

 
#16 Florida vs. #17 Mississippi State
Friday, April 14, 2017 | 5:00 PM
Gainesville, Fla. | Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex

Promotion: FREE Florida Tennis t-shirts to the first 150 fans

Scouting the Bulldogs
Mississippi State has had an impressive season so far, as it has defeated seven ranked opponents, including three upset wins. It currently holds the third spot in the SEC, and has one of the best overall records in the conference at 17-5.

The Gators hold a 36-18 all-time record over the Bulldogs, and have won four of the last five meetings in the series. The two teams last saw each other earlier this season at the ITA National Team Indoors in Charlottesville, Va. Both teams lost in the first round of the tournament before meeting in the first consolation round, where the Gators won 4-1 to continue in the tournament.

The Bulldogs represent well in the Oracle/ITA Rankings. The Gators' No. 6 duo of Johannes Ingildsen and Alfredo Perez will square off against No. 27 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey, while Perez, ranked No. 9 in singles, will face another top-10 opponent, No. 4 Nuno Borges, at the No. 1 singles position.

A win for the Gators will tie both teams with an 8-3 conference record, while a loss can knock the Gators out of their top-4 standing in the SEC – and likely out of the top 16 in the ITA Rankings.
 

#16 Florida vs. Auburn
Sunday, April 16, 2017 | 1:00 PM
Gainesville, Fla. | Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex

Promotion: Senior Day. Help us honor our two seniors, Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin, before the match.

Scouting the Tigers
Florida holds a 39-15 all-time record over Auburn, and the Gators have won eight of the last 10 meetings in the series. The last time the Gators saw the Tigers was last season in Gainesville, where Florida won in a 7-0 sweep.

Despite not being ranked, the Tigers are still well represented in the Oracle/ITA Individual and Doubles Rankings. Senior Maxime Hinnesdaels is currently ranked No. 50 in the nation, and will face No. 9 Perez in the first singles position on Sunday. Hinnesdaels and his partner Conner Huertas are ranked No. 28 in doubles, and will play on Court 1 against the No. 6 team of Ingildsen/Perez.

Auburn lost its last match to Texas A&M last weekend, and will head to No. 22 South Carolina on Friday afternoon before making the trip to Gainesville.



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