Bob van Overbeek watched as his opponent’s shot slowly bounced in front of him. The junior set his feet, brought his racket back and blasted a thunderous forehand past his helpless opponent.
That was a recurring theme on Sunday not just for van Overbeek, but for all of the Gators. Aggressive, confident play helped No. 11 Florida (12-7, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) beat Alabama in a 7-0 sweep, the team’s third win in a row. Just as the regular season is winding down, the Gators are beginning to play their best tennis.
Perhaps most important for Florida has been the resurgence of van Overbeek, the team’s top singles player. After a stretch in which he lost match after match to challenging opponents, he has been able to assert himself and play his best tennis of the season during the last two weeks.
“Whenever he can win some matches, especially when you beat guys as good as the guys he’s beaten, you gain some confidence,” coach Andy Jackson said. “He did some good things when he wasn’t winning, and so did we as a group. The most important thing is that he gained confidence by doing some good things.”
This weekend, van Overbeek played dominant tennis, using a big serve and explosive forehand to overpower his opponents. He won his match Friday against Auburn on an ace, and was judicious in the use of power shots on Sunday. It has been somewhat of a change for him, as earlier in the season he was waiting for shots to create themselves rather than making his own offense.
That mentality shift has been contagious throughout the team. Florida’s players have been more aggressive across the board, putting points away to save their energy. But that formula has only in the last few matches yielded positive results.
It’s a style of tennis that should bode well for the Gators come tournament time.
With the SEC Tournament fewer than three weeks away, Florida’s increased confidence should allow them to coast into the postseason. That, Jackson said, is the ultimate goal.
“We’ve got to focus on the Gators and what we can do to get better,” he said.
Also playing the Crimson Tide, the No. 2 Florida (15-1, 8-0 SEC) women also won their match 7-0, their fourth sweep in five matches.
They defeated No. 16 Alabama handily, winning 15 of 16 possible sets and now sit alone in first place in the SEC.
