After Florida dropped the doubles point against Auburn on Saturday, the Gators could have admitted defeat.
They had already done so at multiple points this season, with all but one of their six losses coming when they lost the early point.
"We had a lot of opportunities in doubles and fell a point shy of winning the doubles point," coach Bryan Shelton said Monday about the Auburn game. "We just weren’t able to capitalize and get the job done."
But after the Tigers clinched the first point of the game on Saturday, Shelton could tell his team wasn’t going to let it determine their destiny for the rest of the match.
The Gators went on to win four singles matches in straight sets to take the 4-1 victory.
"You could see the energy in the guys as they spoke in the five minutes before singles started," Shelton said. "They took an active role in that meeting and didn’t just sit back and listen to what coach had to say. I could tell they were engaged, they were hungry and they were really wanting to pull together and you could feel it."
Even though there are only four matches left in the 2014-2015 season, Shelton said he is glad he is still seeing progress out of the Gators.
"It’s one thing to talk about those things and another thing to go out there and have the fortitude to go out there and do it," Shelton said.
And Diego Hidalgo did just what his coach asked of him.
Shelton described Hidalgo as the match who lit the fire on Saturday, leading by example for the rest of the team.
"He did a lot of things we’ve been talking about," Shelton said. "As the singles got started you could feel his energy out there. He was yelling down three courts to (Jordan) Belga and to Josh (Wardell) and everybody else. You could just feel it. He was playing with a lot of passion, a lot of energy and he was leading."
The junior worked his way to the No. 1 spot earlier this year and has earned a point in three of his five completed singles matches in the Southeastern Conference for the Gators.
Follow Caylee Underwood on Twitter @CayUnderwood
Diego Hidalgo prepares to serve during the SEC Fall Classic at UF's Ring Tennis Complex
