For the second consecutive weekend, the Gators will travel west as they head to Tulsa, Okla., to take part in the ITA All-American.
Heading into the tournament, senior Alexandre Lacroix, who captured the Napa Valley Classic Championship last weekend, will begin in the main draw.
No. 9-Lacroix continues to impress coach Andy Jackson with his performances on the court.
“We expect a lot out of him,” Jackson said. “He could be playing the best tennis of anyone in the country right now.”
Sophomore Bob van Overbeek, who was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team last spring, has even bigger aspirations this season.
Besides staying ranked, No. 105 van Overbeek’s main goal is to make the NCAA tournament in both singles and doubles competition.
After suffering a few tough losses in the Napa Valley Classic, he’s going into the tournament with a different mindset.
“I want to play a little looser, with a little less pressure,” van Overbeek said.
For van Overbeek, getting into a groove in the fall can be challenging.
“The beginning of the year is the toughest with getting acclimated with getting back to school,” van Overbeek said.
Women prepared for action: After not playing in a tournament for two weeks, coach Roland Thornqvist is excited for his team’s participation in the ITA All-American in Pacific Palisades, Calif., this weekend.
Thornqvist is pleased with his team’s hard work in practice over the past few weeks and thinks his players are ready to play against some of the best competition in the nation.
“We have a much clearer picture of where everybody stands,” Thornqvist said. “This is about as tough a competition as we’re going to have.”
Thornqvist said freshmen Sofie Oyen, Olivia Janowicz and Alexandra Cercone have improved a lot over the past few weeks, and the tournament will be a good chance to test their development.
“I am anxious to see our freshmen,” Thornqvist said. “They haven’t been in the pressure cooker really before.”
The three first-year players will join juniors Claire Bartlett and Joanna Mather in the pre-qualifying singles draw, while sophomore Allie Will is slotted in the main draw.
Sophomore Lauren Embree will only participate in doubles competition as she is still recovering from offseason wrist surgery.
Thornqvist said Embree received a platelet-rich-plasma injection last week to facilitate healing and won’t be at full strength for at least a few more weeks.
