The dark clouds set over Gainesville, and rival Florida State paid an overdue visit to battle it out with the top-ranked host.
The action at Linder Stadium was moved into Charles R. and Nancy V. Perry Indoor Facility to keep the athletes dry. But the Gators shrugged off the venue change to shut out FSU and sweep their third opponent in a row 7-0.
Sunday built No. 2 Florida’s record to an 11-game win streak.
The Gators singles brought out stellar solo performances from junior Lukas Grief, senior Josh Goodger and sophomore Blaise Bicknell to pile onto the final score. They all walked away with two-set wins.
No. 68 Bicknell shined the brightest on the floor to down yet another helpless opponent who dared to tread on the other side of the net. Bicknell used his legs to outrun FSU junior Sebastian Arcila in two short sets and left him gasping for air after a 6-1, 6-1 final.
The Florida team captains Duarte Vale and Sam Riffice fell short by three games in their doubles bout with Loris Pourroy and Marcus Walters but overcame their vices to recover in singles. Vale quickly handled Alex Knaff in two-sets (6-1, 6-2) while Riffice kept his battery charged for three sets.
Seminole Loris Pourroy studied Riffice’s moves while they battled in the doubles portion and stole the first set, 3-6. The Florida captain collapsed but bounced back to put the pedal to the metal and take all six games of the second. He lay down the hurt in the third with a 6-2 finish.
Florida will get a day of rest to follow up on another shutout win and begin their practices again on Tuesday afternoon. They will battle the Arkansas Razorbacks Friday.
Contact Jesse Richardson at jrichardson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @JesseRich352
