There’s one thing Florida has proven thus far this season: It is incapable of a losing streak.
The No. 17 Gators have yet let a loss determine the outcome of their season. After nearly half of their season in the rearview mirror, the Gators have yet to lose two in a row.
That trend continued on Saturday.
After a 4-1 loss in its Southeastern conference opener to the Georgia Bulldogs, UF gathered their energy and brought home its first SEC win of the season, taking a 4-1 win over No. 34 South Carolina.
Although no delay, rain had forced the match to be relocated indoors, which brought a different atmosphere for the team.
Florida started off the match receiving the doubles point after the No. 47-ranked doubles duo Gordon Watson and Diego Hidalgo clinched their match against South Carolina’s No.44-ranked Thomas Mayronne and Harrison O’Keefe.
Because of the inclement weather that moved the match indoors, just three matches were to be played at a time.
No.46 Hidalgo was the first to bring in a point in singles play for the Gators, with caption Maxx Lipman following behind.
The newly ranked freshman, No.123 Chase Perez-Blanco clinched the win for Florida making it his clinch of his career.
“I don’t think there’s a better feeling,” the freshman said. “Especially being a part of a team like this. You want to do anything you can to help them out. To get that clinch, it really brought a smile to my face.”
Coach Bryan Shelton has not taken the youth of his team lightly and is not surprised on the success Blanco has shown over the course of the year.
“I think Chase took a big step to win under pressure (Saturday) the way that he did,” Shelton said. “I think even more importantly he’s kind of realized that he’s got to put in the extra work and continue to do that so he can continue to improve. We challenged him a few weeks back and he’s responded.”
The SEC season has just begun, Shelton is already anxious to get back on the court against Vanderbilt on Friday.
“It was team effort,” Shelton said, “and we’ve just got to get back to work and get ready for Vanderbilt.”
Follow Caylee Underwood on Twitter @CayUnderwood
Freshman Chase Perez-Blanco hits the ball during Florida's 9-3 win against William & Mary at the Ring Tennis Complex.
