Since the start of the season, the Gators have had their focus on the postseason. It has been a point of emphasis, and every adjustment the team has made throughout the year was done with the postseason in mind.
Now, it has arrived.
No. 10 Florida (14-8, 7-4 Southeastern Conference) will begin play at the SEC Tournament in Starkville, Miss., today against the winner of Arkansas and Ole Miss at 6 p.m. The competition at the tournament will be fierce, but also far different from any regular-season matches.
“It’s definitely different. I enjoy the SEC Tournament and NCAA (Tournament) just because it’s a bonus,” said junior Bob van Overbeek. “It’s nice to have those extra matches and have time off to prepare for them. Hopefully we can do well this weekend and get some momentum going into the NCAA Tournament.”
Although the pressure will be on this weekend, van Overbeek said the SEC Tournament serves a function more as a warm-up to the NCAA Tournament. Mainly, he said, this will provide an opportunity for the Gators to get players performing at a high level. It has been a challenge all year for Florida, but a strong finish to the season has the team encouraged that it can make a run.
“We’re not really trying to think of it as more important of a match. SEC Tournament is big, but it’s really just another match or two or however many to prepare us for the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “I don’t think the team will be in an extraordinary amount of stress. We’ll just want to be playing well and getting confidence to make a push in NCAAs.”
Junior Trip Carleton agreed, saying that the key to postseason success is simply getting everyone to play well at the same time. The difference from the regular season, though, is the pressure.
“A lot of people play much differently when there’s a lot of pressure,” Carleton said. “That’s where you really see the level. Postseason is the great equalizer.
“We all just have to play as a team. We have to come out and play strong in doubles. If we have all six guys playing, we’re tough to beat. We just have to all be there, all play well, and just get ready and not give the other team anything.”
Carleton also noted that rankings aren’t necessarily the best indicator of a team’s postseason chances. For example, Florida could be ranked higher if not for losing close decisions against Kentucky and Georgia. In the postseason, the Gators know that those losses could easily be turned into wins.
“(The rankings) aren’t arbitrary, but just because a team ranked No. 3 is playing a team ranked No. 15 in the tournament, it doesn’t mean the No. 3 is a guaranteed win,” he said. “Tennis, even though it’s a team sport in college, it’s an individual court. Anything is possible in tennis.”
The No. 3 women will be facing Tennessee at 7 p.m. in Oxford, Miss. The Gators will be searching for their third consecutive SEC tournament championship.
