Media and fans flooded into the Ring Tennis complex late Friday afternoon to watch the Gators play their first nationally televised match of the season.
No. 5 Florida (9-2, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) ousted No. 9 Texas A&M (6-3, 0-1 SEC) 4-0 in its first SEC match of the year six days after a bitter defeat to PAC-12 powerhouse Stanford.
“Last week [against Stanford], we were not able to play our way out of it. Today, the difference was that we were together and able to handle the first 15 minutes and change the momentum on every court,” coach Roland Thornqvist said.
The match experimented with a slightly different format from what Florida was used to. The new rules called for the six singles matches to be played before beginning doubles play.
The doubles matches proved unnecessary, as the Gators needed only four single matches to claim the victory.
Alexandra Cercone captured the first point with a 6-3, 6-1 win and Sofie Oyen added to the lead with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. Kourtney Keegan put the Gators up 3-0 after a three-set win (4-6, 6-1, 6-0) on court six.
Sophomore Brianna Morgan completed the sweep in straight sets with a 7-5, 6-3 clincher on court two. Friday was only the third time Morgan played at the No. 2 spot all season.
“On the court I felt good. In the beginning I felt shaky but I just tried stay focused as much as I [could],” Morgan said after the match. “I clinched a lot last year and this year not so much so it was good to get another clinch.”
The Gators improved to 186-1 against SEC opponents at home and will try to add to that record when they face Missouri on Sunday.
“We got better and stronger the longer it went. That’s our trademark here. We pride ourselves on having a feisty, never-say-die team,” Thornqvist said.
“I’m really proud of them. They are really committed to the cause and playing together. I thought we were excellent today.”
Follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @ibcohen5
