The UF men’s tennis team is entering a difficult stretch in their schedule: a four game SEC road stint.
Florida enters the stretch with a 3-4 record in away and neutral site matches despite boasting a 12-6 record overall. The upcoming schedule includes two top-25 teams in No. 24 Kentucky and No. 14 Georgia as well as a showdown with Tennessee in Knoxville, where the SEC tournament will be hosted this year.
However, the No. 12 Gators must first take care of Alabama when they face off with the Crimson Tide on their home court tonight at 7 p.m.
“You have to band together on the road, it’s kind of us against the world,” said coach Bryan Shelton. “To win on the road in our league is so difficult, but going in there with momentum certainly helps.”
And the Gators enter Tuscaloosa with plenty of momentum.
Florida has strung together wins in its last four matches, all of which came against ranked SEC opponents. Big wins came over Ole Miss and Arkansas on the road, giving much needed confidence to a bunch that struggled previously on the road.
And impacting the team has been the positive performances of its touted, foreign freshman, Johannes Ingildsen of Denmark and Joseph Guillin of France. The duo plays in the fourth and sixth spots respectively and holds a combined record of 6-1 over Florida’s last four victories.
“I think momentum is real if you believe it,” said Shelton. “And if you feel like you will do well, then you probably will.”
Contact Mark Stine at mstine@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
UF men's tennis coach Bryan Shelton looks on during Florida's 4-2 win against UCLA on Feb. 5, 2017, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
