Senior Bob van Overbeek was back in the lineup on Friday after sitting out the past two matches. He only had one victory since Feb. 9, but he notched a victory against Ole Miss.
Van Overbeek broke out of a drought to put the first singles point on the board for Florida, defeating Ole Miss’ Stefan Lindmark in straight sets. He overpowered Lindmark throughout the match, only allowing him to win one game.
The senior led the No. 17 Gators (11-8, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) to a victory over the No. 7 Rebels (13-6, 6-4 SEC).
Van Overbeek started the dual match on a good note. In doubles, he and partner Stephane Piro clinched the doubles point when they defeated Lindmark and Johan Backstrom 8-4.
Florent Diep and Gordon Watson paired up for doubles on Friday and found success, winning their match 8-3.
Coach Bryan Shelton said on Monday how important it is for this team to focus on the moments, and that is exactly what they did in doubles.
“Stay in the moment, understand what you’re about to do, see it happen and be able to visualize it before it happens,” Shelton said. “If that’s your mindset, that’s all positive. The more positive these guys are going into every single point, every single game, every single situation, the better chance they have for success.
That positivity carried over into singles as the Gators took the first set on three courts. Van Overbeek was the first to get off the courts for the Gators when he won his match.
Freshman Gordon Watson followed in the senior’s footsteps when he won in straight sets. Watson was perfect in the second set, not allowing Ole Miss’ Zach Wilder to score a single point.
Florent Diep clinched the match for Florida, which put the team above the .500 mark in the SEC.
The Gators host Mississippi State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
UF senior Bob van Overbeek returns a volley. Van Overbeek won only his second match since Feb. 3 against Ole Miss on Friday.
