One game away from a match-clinching win against Georgia’s Wil Spencer, Florida’s Bob van Overbeek lost control of the match. For Florida, a victory by van Overbeek would have sent them to a 2-0 record against two Top-20 opponents in Southeastern Conference play. Instead, the Gators are 1-1.
“I’m very proud of my team for the way that we competed,” coach Andy Jackson said. “Like I told [the team], and something that I know is true, everybody contributed to us losing, including Georgia, but the biggest share of the fault goes to me. That one is on me.”
In a sport where much of the coaching occurs in practice and outside of match play, Jackson felt that one simple piece of advice could have made the difference in a loss for No. 10 UF (8-4, 1-1 SEC) against No. 6 UGA (11-1, 2-0 SEC) Sunday. Spencer, Georgia’s No. 1 singles player, is adept at controlling pace in the match. Caught up in a tight contest with van Overbeek, Spencer was able to continue to manipulate the pace.
Jackson felt that he should have told van Overbeek not to overplay. Up 5-1 in the third set, a conservative approach would have likely won Florida the match.
“There were wild momentum swings in the match because both kids wanted to win so much,” Jackson said. “When Bob got ahead in the third, it was my job to remind him not to overplay and give Wil pace, and I didn’t do my job and Wil did his job very well. That’s why [Spencer] is one of the best.”
After Florida lost the doubles point with play that Jackson described as “very bad”, the Gators fought back to tie the score at three. The third set between van Overbeek and Spencer decided the match. After opening up a 5-1 advantage in the third set, van Overbeek fell apart. He was examined by a trainer with the set tied 5-5, but went on to finish, eventually losing 7-5 and giving the Bulldogs a 4-3 victory overall.
UF women upend UGA: The No. 15 Florida women’s squad was successful in its tight match against No. 5 Georgia on Sunday. After winning their doubles point, the No. 15 Gators (8-1, 2-0 SEC) split the singles matches with the Bulldogs (11-2, 1-1 SEC). Lauren Embree’s three-set win over Georgia’s Lauren Herring clinched the match for the Gators. The match also saw junior Allie Will lose her first singles match of the spring, in straight sets to Georgia’s Chelsey Gillickson.
