Friday, April 14
Gainesville, FL
5:00 PM
Florida Gators
4
vs
3
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Mississippi State
McClain Kessler clinched the match for the Gators, earning the fourth team point to bring the Gators back from a 3-0 deficit.
Gators Fight Back to Edge Out Bulldogs at Home
Friday, April 14, 2017 | Men's Tennis
Box Score (PDF)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 16 Florida men's tennis team knocked off No. 17 Mississippi State at home on Friday night (April 14), coming back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Bulldogs 4-3.
With this win, Florida ties Mississippi State for third place in the SEC. The Gators are looking to keep a standing in the top four to earn a bye in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
In doubles play, the Bulldogs earned a win on Court 2, as Cutura/Hunter defeated Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin 6-4 on Court 2. The Gators fought back on Court 3, as Joshua Wardell and Chase Perez-Blanco won a tiebreak 9-7 to take the match 7-6.
Mississippi State ultimately clinched the doubles point with a win on Court 1, as No. 6 Johannes Ingildsen and Alfredo Perez fell in a tiebreak to No. 27 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey.
In singles play, the Bulldogs had an early advantage with wins in the No. 1 and No. 4 positions, giving them a 3-0 lead.
Perez-Blanco earned the first team point for the Gators with a ranked win against No. 123 Strahinja Rakic on Court 3. No. 77 Orkin followed close behind on Court 2, defeating Mate Cutura 7-5, 6-2 to close the Bulldogs' lead 3-2, and to earn his 99th career singles win.
With only two matches remaining, the clinching point came down to the fifth and sixth courts. Ingildsen's battle with Giovanni Oradini went into three sets, where the freshman was able to pull away and earn a win for the Gators, tying up the team score 3-3.
McClain Kessler and Trevor Foshey fought a close battle on Court 6, splitting the first two sets to send the match into a third. Kessler was able to stay ahead of his opponent to clinch the match for the Gators, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. This was the sophomore's first home match since February, as he has been out for most of the conference season with an injury.
Quoting Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On what a win like this means to the team…
"What a great performance from our team with the fight that they showed and their resilience. We certainly didn't play our best tennis tonight, but it really wasn't about that. It was more about just showing our true character, and I think that was displayed tonight in the way we came back from the 3-0 deficit."
"Mississippi State is a tough group and they fight really hard, and they certainly were going after us like they had nothing to lose tonight. And our guys were able to withstand the challenge. I'm just really proud of our team."
On McClain Kessler's clinching singles point…
"It was a pretty special night for McClain, who's kind of our emotional leader. A guy that just really bleeds orange and blue, for him to be in that situation tonight was pretty fitting. He's been out for several weeks now, so for him to have his first match back at home since his injury and to be the clincher tonight is just great to see."
"That's why we recruited him, we knew he had some special abilities and we knew he was a gamer. And he certainly was a gamer tonight, because when it really mattered the most he really elevated his game. And I think that's what great players do."
#16 Florida 4, #17 Mississippi State 3
Friday, April 14, 2017 | 5 PM
Gainesville, Fla. | Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
Doubles (Order of finish: 2, 3, 1)
1. #27 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. #6 Johannes Ingildsen/Alfredo Perez (UF), 7-6*
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) def. Maxx Lipman/Elliott Orkin (UF), 6-4
3. Joshua Wardell/Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU), 7-6
Singles (Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 2,
1. #4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #9 Alfredo Perez (UF), 6-2, 6-2
2. #77 Elliott Orkin (UF) def. Mate Cutura (MSU), 7-5, 6-2
3. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. #123 Strahinja Rakic (MSU), 6-3, 6-3
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Maxx Lipman (UF), 6-2, 6-2
5. Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
6. McClain Kessler (UF) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3*
*Clinching Victory
Up Next for the Gators
Florida will host Auburn this Sunday at 1:00 PM. 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.
The Tigers visited Columbia, South Carolina on Friday night, where Auburn lost its fourth straight match.
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Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 16 Florida men's tennis team knocked off No. 17 Mississippi State at home on Friday night (April 14), coming back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Bulldogs 4-3.
With this win, Florida ties Mississippi State for third place in the SEC. The Gators are looking to keep a standing in the top four to earn a bye in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
In doubles play, the Bulldogs earned a win on Court 2, as Cutura/Hunter defeated Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin 6-4 on Court 2. The Gators fought back on Court 3, as Joshua Wardell and Chase Perez-Blanco won a tiebreak 9-7 to take the match 7-6.
Mississippi State ultimately clinched the doubles point with a win on Court 1, as No. 6 Johannes Ingildsen and Alfredo Perez fell in a tiebreak to No. 27 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey.
In singles play, the Bulldogs had an early advantage with wins in the No. 1 and No. 4 positions, giving them a 3-0 lead.
Perez-Blanco earned the first team point for the Gators with a ranked win against No. 123 Strahinja Rakic on Court 3. No. 77 Orkin followed close behind on Court 2, defeating Mate Cutura 7-5, 6-2 to close the Bulldogs' lead 3-2, and to earn his 99th career singles win.
With only two matches remaining, the clinching point came down to the fifth and sixth courts. Ingildsen's battle with Giovanni Oradini went into three sets, where the freshman was able to pull away and earn a win for the Gators, tying up the team score 3-3.
McClain Kessler and Trevor Foshey fought a close battle on Court 6, splitting the first two sets to send the match into a third. Kessler was able to stay ahead of his opponent to clinch the match for the Gators, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. This was the sophomore's first home match since February, as he has been out for most of the conference season with an injury.
CLINCHED ??
— Gators Men's Tennis (@GatorsMTN) April 15, 2017
McClain Kessler takes down Trevor Foshey and the #GatorsWin! pic.twitter.com/lzYYVeMPbp
Quoting Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On what a win like this means to the team…
"What a great performance from our team with the fight that they showed and their resilience. We certainly didn't play our best tennis tonight, but it really wasn't about that. It was more about just showing our true character, and I think that was displayed tonight in the way we came back from the 3-0 deficit."
"Mississippi State is a tough group and they fight really hard, and they certainly were going after us like they had nothing to lose tonight. And our guys were able to withstand the challenge. I'm just really proud of our team."
On McClain Kessler's clinching singles point…
"It was a pretty special night for McClain, who's kind of our emotional leader. A guy that just really bleeds orange and blue, for him to be in that situation tonight was pretty fitting. He's been out for several weeks now, so for him to have his first match back at home since his injury and to be the clincher tonight is just great to see."
"That's why we recruited him, we knew he had some special abilities and we knew he was a gamer. And he certainly was a gamer tonight, because when it really mattered the most he really elevated his game. And I think that's what great players do."
#16 Florida 4, #17 Mississippi State 3
Friday, April 14, 2017 | 5 PM
Gainesville, Fla. | Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
Doubles (Order of finish: 2, 3, 1)
1. #27 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. #6 Johannes Ingildsen/Alfredo Perez (UF), 7-6*
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) def. Maxx Lipman/Elliott Orkin (UF), 6-4
3. Joshua Wardell/Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU), 7-6
Singles (Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 2,
1. #4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #9 Alfredo Perez (UF), 6-2, 6-2
2. #77 Elliott Orkin (UF) def. Mate Cutura (MSU), 7-5, 6-2
3. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. #123 Strahinja Rakic (MSU), 6-3, 6-3
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Maxx Lipman (UF), 6-2, 6-2
5. Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
6. McClain Kessler (UF) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3*
*Clinching Victory
Up Next for the Gators
Florida will host Auburn this Sunday at 1:00 PM. 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.
The Tigers visited Columbia, South Carolina on Friday night, where Auburn lost its fourth straight match.
Follow the Gators
Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
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FloridaGators.com
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