Although it was senior day, it was freshman Elliott Orkin that clinched the match against Ole Miss on Sunday. The Gators played well against the Rebels, winning the doubles point and only giving up one singles match in a 4-1 victory.
Coming off of a strong win against Mississippi State on Friday, Florida was prepared to get another Southeastern Conference win.
On the doubles court, Senior Florent Diep teamed up with sophomore Gordon Watson to defeat No. 75 William Kallberg and Stefman Lindmark in a 51 match, 8-6.
Two minutes later, Orkin and Maxx Lipman clinched the doubles point in an 8-6 win against Nik Scholtz and Ricardo Jorge.
In singles, Florida got off to a bad start, with No. 78 Watson losing to No. 16 Scholtz in a quick 6-4, 6-2 decision. After Watson's loss, the Gators were perfect on the day, winning three straight singles matches.
Senior Mike Alford didn't waste any time in his final home singles match, defeating Jorge 7-5, 6-2. Next to finish was Lipman, winning his match against Lindmark 6-4, 6-4 to give Florida a 3-1 lead. “Mike is the All-American guy" coach Bryan Shelton said. "We talk about our core values, talk about passion, excellence, teamwork, commitment and all the things that make special student-athletes. And, this guy [Mike], he's got it all. And that's rare; it's rare for a guy to bring all of them to the table, but he does. I appreciate what Mike brings to this team."
Last to finish was freshman Orkin. In a hard fight, he beat Vinod Gowda 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 in a match that lasted an hour and thirty-six minutes.
Next up, Florida will take on Vanderbilt Friday in their second to last match of the season.
"We've got a lot more work to do and we have to keep working every single day," Shelton said. "But, this group is committed to working hard. They're committed to doing the things it takes to be successful."
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Elliott Orkin attempts to hit the ball during his singles match against UNF on Jan. 22.
