Florida held its annual tennis banquet on Tuesday, and it came as no surprise that senior Olivia Janowicz was named as the team’s most valuable player.
But the Gators’ MVP, who compiled a 15-5 record in singles play this season and is ranked 14th in the nation, might be sidelined when UF opens the NCAA tournament on Friday.
No. 8 Florida hopes to have use of its leader when it faces South Carolina State on Friday at 3 p.m. at the Ring Tennis Complex.
“Olivia has been in a boot for two weeks, so we find out today for the first time if she’s feeling good,” coach Roland Thornqvist said on Monday.
Regardless of Janowicz’s condition on Friday, Thornqvist has decided to adjust the team’s doubles pairings. Kourtney Keegan will instead play alongside Alexandra Cercone, and Brianna Morgan will either play with Stefani Stojic or Janowicz depending on the latter’s availability. Belinda Woolcock and Sofie Oyen will likely remain together on Court 2.
“That probably will be our greatest challenge this week, to see who we’re going to end up playing in doubles,” Thornqvist said. “[We’ll] see if Olivia can go full out this weekend or if we need to hold her back in order to get her where she’s most valuable.
“Other than that, I think we’re doing well as a team and we’re looking forward to competing again.”
Florida, which has advanced to the NCAA semifinals in 22 of the last 26 years, will host the first and second rounds of tournament play for the 15th year in a row.
UF is relishing another opportunity to compete in Gainesville, and for good reason — the Gators haven’t lost at home in its last 131 matches.
“It’s a great thing for us. If history is any guide, obviously we’ve done very well our last ten years at home,” Thornqvist said. “With the caliber of teams that our here this weekend, we’re going to need all those little things to make us the favorite.”
Florida is coming off a 4-3 loss in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals against Texas A&M, where it fell short of a SEC championship for the first time in four years.
However, UF is 4-0 after losses this season and hasn’t lost consecutive matches since February 13 and 14 of 2010.
“When we lost to Texas A&M, I thought everybody was really upset and it left a really bad taste in our mouths,” Thornqvist said. “But I didn’t have to say much to the team to continue to play and prepare and be ready. Fitness-wise this is the best we’ve been all year and if the freshmen are playing their best tennis now, then overall we should be a better team.”
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Olivia Janowicz returns the ball during Florida’s 4-0 win against Harvard on Jan. 26 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
