When the UF men’s tennis team hosts an NCAA Regional this weekend, it hopes to find its early postseason momentum.
While Florida struggled during the regular season, especially in close matches, the No. 8 Gators (18-8) are now tasked with the difficulty of backing up their success after winning a conference title.
After a magical run to capture the Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship, UF has lodged itself back into the ranks of national powerhouses looking to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
“We definitely felt momentum during the SEC Tournament,” coach Andy Jackson said. “We were scared of Arkansas, gained a little momentum after that win. There were more people against Mississippi State, a top-20 team, and even more people against Tennessee, a national championship contender.
And even on Easter Sunday, we had probably our biggest crowd of the year against Kentucky.”
Jackson said his team thrives while playing at home, and the Gators always have the goal of hosting an NCAA Regional.
But maintaining momentum from a tournament that concluded on April 24 won’t be easy.
“The guys played well but a lot of it was feeding off the people in the stands, something that we’re grateful for,” Jackson said. “The thing with the momentum is that now we’ve had three weeks off. We’ve got more confidence, but we’re like all the other teams in the round of 64 when everybody’s had three weeks off. We have to earn our momentum again in the regional.”
To keep their focus in the first round against South Carolina State (13-4) on Friday at 1 p.m., Florida will turn to senior Alexandre Lacroix for guidance.
Lacroix has led the team all year, and his experience in the postseason is something Jackson said is a huge boost for the Gators.
“I think you want an awareness [among the players] that this is what you’ve practiced for. This is what Alex has worked four years for... He’s aware of it more than the other guys and he’s teaching those guys that this is the time to be present.”
According to Jackson, UF is good enough to make a deep run into the NCAAs, but the first step is beating South Carolina State on Friday.
“We’ve got a better team, but the better team doesn’t always win,” Jackson said. “They’re going to play loose and they’ve got some confidence from the regular season, so we’re going to have to be prepared and show that we can handle some success.”
