Leadership is crucial in all college sports, whether it comes from an experienced senior or an emerging young star.
It is an essential quality for teams formed of players ranging in age from 18 to 22, and the youth of the No. 7 Florida men’s tennis team has made its leaders invaluable to the program.
While most people view senior Alexandre Lacroix as the team’s emotional leader, younger players have begun to take on an increased role.
That includes sophomore Bob van Overbeek, a Boca Raton native who came to UF as a blue-chip recruit ranked seventh overall by tennisrecruiting.net.
During his freshman spring, van Overbeek played singles on Court 4 and racked up a 9-1 record in the Southeastern Conference en route to being named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
Heading into the 2010-11 campaign, van Overbeek received his first singles ranking as the No. 52 player in the nation when dual match play started in January.
As a sophomore, van Overbeek has been asked to do much more for his team. His work ethic over winter break helped him come into the spring season with a booming serve, which he rode to an 11-game singles win streak.
“Coming into this year, I knew I was going to have a little more responsibility,” van Overbeek said. “We only have one senior and one junior, so Sekou [Bangoura Jr.] and Nassim [Slilam] knew we were going to be asked to do a little more.”
Van Overbeek’s streak came to an end Sunday at FSU, as he moved up to Court 2 for the first time and fell to No. 37 Clint Bowles.
The move up to Court 2 was a big step for van Overbeek, who said he and fellow sophomore Bangoura would be switching between Courts 2 and 3 for most of the season.
It’s van Overbeek’s work ethic and selfless mentality that give him an edge in competition and make him a strong fit for a leadership role. He will be called upon this weekend as the Gators travel to face No. 16 Illinois on Saturday.
“The main goal, no matter what court I’m playing on or who I’m playing against, is just to get as many individual wins as possible to help the team,” van Overbeek said.
“I’m not as worried about my own ranking, but getting wins for the team is the most important thing.”
