In the minutes after Sunday’s win against Mississippi, Allie Will walked into the conference room of the Ring Tennis Complex to field questions from the media.
The junior has gone through the routine dozens of times, answering questions with ease. Then, something caught her off-guard. How, she was asked, did she feel about winning her 100th match as a Gator?
“That’s great news,” she said, clearly surprised. “I’ve had a lot of good matches, and I haven’t lost a match (at home) so I’m happy that I was able to get to 100 wins and hopefully I’ll have a few more before the year is over.”
For the nation’s top-ranked singles player on the nation’s second-ranked team, accolades and accomplishments are nothing new. All year long, when asked about a list of items ranging from the team’s 103-match home win streak to her recently attained No. 1 singles ranking, Will had an almost identical response — she was just trying to get better. Her coach, Roland Thornqvist, echoed that sentiment.
“She obviously likes to win, but this year, she’s worked really, really hard,” he said. “She was a tremendous worker the first two years, but she’s putting in twice the work this year. Huge appetite for the game and for getting better, and I think you’re seeing it in her game.”
As skilled as Will is, improvements at this stage in the season are minimal. She is Florida’s best player in almost every area of the game. Aside from being a tremendous natural athlete, Will has a lethal backhand, a powerful serve and a forehand that Thornqvist said she takes for granted. Still, she sincerely believes there is plenty of work to be done.
“For me, it’s just about playing the way I do in practice in a real match,” she said. “I’ve been working on hitting my serve a little bit more. It’s about moving my feet, trying to get to the net, and trying to be as aggressive as I can.”
Her attitude and hunger for continued improvement have rubbed off on her teammates. Throughout this season, the defending national champions have seen improvements in singles and doubles. Even after the Gators lost to Stanford last month, Thornqvist saw the team’s mentality change. That, he said, started with Will.
When Florida takes the court against Auburn today at 1 p.m., Will’s hard work will be put to the test in search of her 101st win. Thornqvist said that as much as the team doesn’t talk about numbers, this is one worth noting.
“Allie winning 100 matches in her junior year is pretty amazing,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been around that before. We don’t really talk about numbers or rankings or anything like that really, but this one you have to acknowledge.”
