Five matches had passed in the 2012 season, and the Gators were undefeated. They had dropped only two out of 35 possible points and looked poised to make a run at another national title.
Heading into a match at Stanford, one that would be a rematch of last year’s national championship, the Gators were dominant. Then, Stanford put its foot down.
The Gators lost the match 5-2 to the Cardinal, getting dominated in every phase. Simply put, Stanford wanted it more. But that loss did not derail the Gators.
It inspired them.
“The loss to Stanford sort of reset and rebalanced the team, because right now, I think we have the same mentality as to how the Florida Gators should be playing as we did last year,” coach Roland Thornqvist said.
Since that loss, the No. 2 Gators have gone 6-0, including three wins against top-five teams. Steadily, their play has improved. Going into this afternoon’s match at Mississippi State, Thornqvist feels the Gators are not only playing their best tennis, but playing with the right mentality.
“We certainly had our challenges at the beginning of this year,” he said. “I didn’t think we had the same blue-collar outlook on how to win matches as we did last year. That was high expectations, and perhaps looking at the whole year in the wrong way.”
The blue-collar outlook Thornqvist mentioned has been on display in several cases during the last few matches. Against then-No. 4 Georgia, the match came down to Lauren Embree. The junior, who Thornqvist has praised as one of his hardest-working players, overcame a poor first set to defeat the Bulldogs’ Lauren Herring 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Last week against Duke, sophomore Sofie Oyen also trailed in her match, but came back to win in three sets. The ability to not cave in when behind is a quality possessed by almost all of Florida’s players. Thornqvist compared it to the NCAA Tournament in basketball.
“So many of those games are close at the very end, and the teams that can manage themselves when things are falling apart and the pressure is at its max are the teams that are going to come out with wins,” he said. “It’s the same thing for us.”
With its championship pedigree and talent, Florida’s biggest challenge this year has been, and continues to be, mental. Performing up to the immense expectations and not becoming complacent with excellence are themes that have resurfaced throughout the season. Finally, Thornqvist said, he sees the right mental approach in his team.
“At this point, I think we’re doing really well,” he said. “We’re fit, and we’re loose, and we’ve got to continue to preach and teach that.”
