Almost a week after dropping its first Southeastern Conference contest and third dual match on the road, Florida could use a win today when it travels to Auburn.
The No. 5 Gators (12-3, 4-1 SEC) hope to end their road struggles when they meet the No. 20 Tigers (14-3, 4-1 SEC) at 5 p.m. Both Florida and Auburn are coming off their first conference losses of the season, and neither has lost back-to-back matches this year.
After its loss to Georgia on Sunday, Florida fell to sixth place in the SEC standings. But UF has stressed the importance of remaining focused on the positives — and there are plenty.
One highlight has been the selfless attitude of Florida’s seniors.
As the NCAA Tournament begins for men’s basketball, Roland Thornqvist drew comparisons between coach Billy Donovan’s squad of seniors and his own.
“I told the team this week, kind of like on the men’s basketball team, Billy feels like he’s been able to concentrate solely on basketball,” Thornqvist said. “He hasn’t had the other off-court issues … and that’s why they’re good. I feel the same about this team. We have players who don’t care if they play on [courts] three or four, and they’re seniors.”
The unselfishness of Florida’s older players has allowed Thornqvist to construct one of the deepest lineups in the nation. In any given match, Florida’s seniors will play as far down as Court 4.
“Look, you get one point no matter where you play,” Thornqvist said. “I think it’s really dangerous for us to start playing the rankings game. Everybody has a job to do and when we put them out we expect them all to perform.”
That hasn’t been an issue for freshman Kourtney Keegan, who has excelled this season playing primarily on the five and six courts. She is tied for second on the team with 24 wins in singles matches and leads her teammates with 26 wins in doubles matches.
First-year player Belinda Woolcock, who usually plays on Court 4 or 5, is also thriving in her singles role. Against Tennessee on March 14, she earned her 24th singles win of the season.
While the freshmen expect to play on the lower courts, they are learning valuable lessons from the seniors who don’t always compete in the spotlight.
“I think our seniors learned from their predecessors to take care of business no matter where we put them out,” Thornqvist said. “And they are now in turn teaching our younger ones to do the same. If our seniors can’t do that, how can you expect your youngsters to?”
Florida split the first of its back-to-back road weekends. The Gators notched a decisive win over the Volunteers on March 14 but struggled in a disappointing loss against Georgia two days later. Florida’s doubles play has been the main contributor to each of its losses this season.
As the postseason draws closer, the Gators are hoping their depth will help them improve.
“The focus this week, obviously a big week of training for us, is going to be doubles,” Thornqvist said. “The two road weekends here [are] against quality opponents in the league. Three out of the four are ranked really high. So it’ll be a tough stretch for us.”
The Gators enter today’s match having outscored their opponents 57-14 in dual-match singles. They also have three top-25 singles players in Brianna Morgan, Alexandra Cercone and Olivia Janowicz.
But relying only on their play in that area won’t be enough.
“We’re very, very deep in our singles lineup,” Thornqvist said. “[But] I think the doubles part is going to be the key.”
Follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @ibcohen5
Kourtney Keegan swings at the ball during Florida’s 7-0 win against Florida State on Feb. 18 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
