Freshman Brianna Morgan has made more progress than any player assistant coach Dave Balogh has seen in his time at Florida.
“Brianna, (in) the last two weeks, has improved more than any player I’ve had here in my 13 years,” Balogh said. “The jump that she has made in two weeks is very impressive.”
Balogh described Morgan and fellow freshman Danielle Collins as impressive, coachable and powerful.
“They just do a good job with all the little things, in terms of the standard that the upperclassmen have set,” Balogh said. “They came right away and just fit right in.”
In their first collegiate tournament last weekend, both put on an impressive display.
Collins went 6-0 in the tournament, winning her three doubles and singles matches.
Morgan went 3-0 in her singles matches but could not pick up a win in doubles, going 0-3. Despite Morgan’s winless effort in doubles, Balogh did not overreact.
“You can’t get too caught up in the result, especially in the fall,” he said. “The fall is more about developing, getting better, getting stronger and getting faster.”
Collins and Morgan would not have progressed as quickly if not for the influence of their veteran teammates.
Upperclassmen Sofie Oyen, Olivia Janowicz, Alexandra Cercone, Caroline Hitimana and Lauren Embree have helped the freshmen adjust to college tennis.
“They all have done a good job in telling [the freshmen] how we compete, how we prepare and how we stick together,” Balogh said. “Before matches, during matches, after matches and just how we go about doing our business. Sometimes you see the results right away, and sometimes it takes a little while.”
Collins and Morgan have seen early results. Balogh said the continued development of the freshmen is key as Florida seeks its third consecutive national title in 2013.
“To win, you’ve got to have all seven players on the same page,” Balogh said. “It’s very important for those two freshmen to see and learn how the upperclassmen do things, because to win it at the end is a combination of all the little things.”
The Gators will compete in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships starting on Saturday.
The pre-qualifying round is Saturday and Sunday, the qualifying round is Tuesday and Wednesday and the championships are Oct. 4-7.
All seven Gators will be competing in the tournament.
“Our whole philosophy here, especially at the beginning, you’ve got to be really process oriented,” Balogh said.
“If we can just stick to the process, then the bottom line is in May … winning the national championship.”
UF women's tennis coach Roland Thornqvist and the Gators were predicted to win the Southeastern Conference by the other SEC coaches.
