Before the start of the SEC season, both coaches and players on the Gators women’s tennis team described conference play as “brutal.”
However, on the court, it has been anything but.
With an undefeated SEC record, the Gators have dropped one doubles match and have won every singles match during conference play.
“We can get a point on the board from any position,” coach Roland Thornqvist said. “You can’t give away anything. Up and to this point, that’s something that this team has shown as its strength.”
So far this season, the Gators have given up very little. With the exception of occasional lackluster doubles performances, the Gators have been able to dominate their competition. Five out of the their 13 games have been sweeps, as no team has managed to score more than two against Florida.
Thornqvist thinks his team has gotten stronger throughout the course of the season, and only expects its physicality to get better.
“I think our players are becoming more durable as the season goes on with our training and playing outside,” he said.
The Gators will need to use their endurance as an advantage again today as they host rival No. 6 Georgia. This will be the second time this season Florida has faced the Bulldogs. The Gators blanked Georgia 4-0 in the semi-finals of the National Indoor Championships in February.
During this match, senior Belinda Woolcock cited the “hate” she felt from the Bulldogs while facing them on the court. Today’s match is expected to be no different.
Both Florida (13-0, 3-0 SEC) and Georgia come into the match with momentum, as both teams have defeated top-5 competition in the last week.
Georgia (9-3, 3-1 SEC) dominated No. 5 Auburn on Sunday after grabbing the doubles point with two 6-1 wins. And the Gator’s defeated No. 2 Ohio State on Tuesday with strong singles performances.
Georgia gave Florida trouble in singles play earlier in the season, forcing two tiebreaker sets and three matches to go into the third set.
However, Florida players feel confident going into the match. Woolcock said while she knows Florida’s opponents and rivals want to beat it, she doesn’t think they can.
“We have to really have an off day to allow our opponent to be in the match,” said. “But if we’re on, there’s no chance they can really compete against us.”
Contact Spencer Thompson at sthompson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @spencemthompson.
UF's Belinda Woolcock hits a serve during Florida's 4-2 win against Oklahoma State on Feb. 18, 2017, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
