UF’s men’s tennis team has been nothing short of hot and cold thus far this season.
Despite this, the Gators have yet to drop back-to-back dual meets this season.
After coming back from a bittersweet weekend, the then-No. 17 Gators were proud of the accomplishments in its loss against defending national champions USC and its 4-3 upset victory against then-No. 4 UCLA.
"We’re respectable of the defending national champions but we came out there and we were able to put it all on the line. I think there was a point in the match, towards the middle of the match, where both teams felt like this match could go either way," coach Bryan Shelton said.
"We put ourselves in a good position, we just weren’t able to put the finishing touches on that match."
If the Gators have proven one thing this season, it is their capability of bouncing back from a loss.
Shelton doesn’t underestimate his team’s ability to play good tennis.
"I always say that every player needs to have an identity and you’ve got to understand where your strengths are and you’ve got to play to your strengths," Shelton said."Some players have a hard time doing that. They go out there and they’re just hitting the ball."
Oliver Landert proved his identity over the weekend against UCLA.
The redshirt freshman clinched Florida’s victory against UCLA after defeating Joseph Di Giulio in three sets on the No. 5 court.
"Oliver understands his limitations but he also understands the things he does really well and he was really able to stick to his game plan, to continue to play aggressively and knowing his game is a tough one for players to deal with," Shelton said.
Shelton will be the first to admit his team is far from what they are capable of and have a long way to grow.
Now last weekend is just a game in the past for Florida.
Florida hits the road once again this Friday to play a familiar team, Florida State.
UF has yet to lose to the Seminoles since its 2006-2007 season and the Gators do not plan on breaking their winning streak at 5 p.m. on Friday.
The third-year coach doesn’t underestimate the No.33 team even after seven years of W’s.
"FSU is a quality program. They’ve got a lot of talent on their roster and those guys know us extremely well…but we also know them pretty well too," Shelton said. "We can’t just think that we beat UCLA and show up and we’ll get the job done. We’re going to have to fight and claw and really that’s our team in a nutshell. We’re not going to ‘ooh’ or ‘aah’ you when you see us but hopefully we’re going to out compete you."
Follow Caylee Underwood on Twitter @CayUnderwood
Redshirt freshman Oliver Landert hits a jump-step forehand during Florida's 9-3 win against William & Mary on Jan. 10 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
