As the Gators stepped onto the court, the players could feel their opponent’s hostility toward them.
Facing Georgia in the semifinals of the National Indoor Championship, the rivalry was felt by every player. And when conference play starts today at LSU, that’s a feeling Florida will have to get used to.
“When you play on the road in the SEC, you go to a lot of places that don’t like you,” coach Roland Thornqvist said. “And (at) the end of the day, you find yourself in a great battle.”
With nine SEC teams in the top 25, Thornqvist said the conference is talented, well-coached and tough this year.
While the second leg of the season will be mentally challenging, Thornqvist believes that his team is up to the challenge. The Gators have already played highly ranked competition this season and have experience fighting back.
After losing the doubles point — something that’s only happened twice this season — against Oklahoma State on Feb. 18, the Gators were able to fight back to win the match 4-2. Thornqvist anticipates that this is something Florida will need to be able to do heading into conference play.
The players feel ready, however. They plan to build off the momentum of their February slate, which included a National Indoor Title and wins over Stanford and North Carolina.
“(Last) weekend (was) the start of what’s ahead,” senior Belinda Woolcock said. “If I have to be brutally honest, if I was another team looking at our team, I’d be pretty intimidated.”
The Gators are confident in their depth and talent. Brooke Austin cites their ability to score on every court as a major asset this season.
Florida won the SEC last year, going undefeated in conference play. And with the exception of one player, the Gators have nearly the exact same lineup as last season.
UF will face LSU today at 5 p.m. and No. 20 Texas A&M on Sunday at noon. Thornqvist expects this to be the start of tough competition, as the Gators are the team to beat this season.
“Most of the time when we roll into town, it’s the match of the year,” he said. “The other team has nothing to lose. So they’re going to give us everything they have. And it’s important for us to be ready.”
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.
