When the UF men's tennis team heads to Starkville, Miss., this weekend, it will be a homecoming trip for coach Andy Jackson.
The No. 19 Gators (11-5, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) will square off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-5, 4-1 SEC) Saturday at 2 p.m. in a pivotal match for Florida, which is currently riding a two-game losing streak.
"I was there 17 years, but I wanted to be a Gator," Jackson said, "so they haven't forgotten about that. They really bring a big crowd out and get after Florida every time."
Jackson coached the women's tennis team at Mississippi State from 1984-89 before coaching the men's team from 1989-2001, leading the Bulldogs to over 200 wins.
Florida hasn't lost to Mississippi State in Jackson's 10 seasons at the helm, but he said this year's Bulldogs team is the best he's seen so far.
The coach, who helped turn UF's program from a state of mediocrity to a perennial title contender, even went as far as saying this Bulldogs group is better than the Ole Miss team who Florida lost to last week.
That loss to Ole Miss, coupled with a loss to USC earlier in the week, is what makes this weekend's matchup for Florida so important.
"It really hurt us a lot in the SEC race," Jackson said about the Ole Miss loss. "You really need to win your home matches."
Jackson also said his team has to keep a calm demeanor this weekend and not buckle under the pressure of trying to avoid a three-game losing streak.
Jackson told his players Mississippi State will be trying to come after the Gators hard on Saturday since they are beat up from losing two close matches.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are currently on a hot streak, having won four in a row and five of their last six.
"When you have some setbacks, your guys get discouraged," Jackson said. "That's the point psychologically for us this week: We're either going to give up and get discouraged or get tougher, make the corrections and go on."
A win for Florida would be a big boost in the team's morale, as it has struggled against tougher competition this spring. The Gators are only 2-5 against teams currently in the top 25 of the ITA standings.
