The No. 20 Gators saw their three-game winning streak end at the hands of No. 13 Ole Miss, but UF is ready to leave that loss in the rear view mirror.
Florida (9-6, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) looks to get back on track against Auburn (14-7, 2-5 SEC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Auburn, Alabama.
The Gators have defeated the Tigers in three of their last four meetings, including a 4-0 victory last season in Gainesville.
"I think every weekend it’s fun to be playing these matches in the SEC," coach Bryan Shelton said. "Partially because we know it’s going to be a tough challenge. The more times we can put ourselves in those situations, hopefully the better we become."
But the last time UF traveled to face the Tigers, the match ended with a victory for Auburn.
"It’s going to be fun going back there," Shelton said. "Their courts play very, very slow and we know that and we will be prepared for that and the speed of the court."
This time last season, the Gators stepped on the gas pedal and won eight of their last 12 matches including matches in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
With six losses already this season, Florida knows they need to finish strong.
"It’s just another building block getting to the SEC tournament," junior captain Gordon Watson said. "I’ve known their coach for a while and I’m sure he’s been preaching to them to keep (the winning streak) rolling. But they’re going to be a tough team whether they win or lose, and we’ve just got to go there and give everything we got and come out with a W."
For both teams, the season is winding down and each match is even more valuable than ever.
"There’s still plenty of tennis to be played." Shelton said. "For us, our goal is to get these guys firing on all cylinders."
Follow Caylee Underwood on Twitter @CayUnderwood
Gordon Watson hits an underhand volley during Florida men's tennis' 4-3 loss to Ole Miss on Jan. 31, 2015 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
