Tied 3-3 in the first round of the 2012 ITA Indoor Championships, Florida relied on Mike Alford to finish off Pepperdine.
Alford won the first set, but Pepperdine’s Jenson Turner battled back to take set two. The match came down to a tiebreaker set.
UF pulled out of the match with a 4-3 victory after Alford won the tiebreaker 7-4.
Nearly a year later, Florida takes on Pepperdine tonight at 5:30 in the first round of the 2013 ITA Indoor Championships.
“Not only is Mike excited to take on Pepperdine again, but as a program we benefit from playing them again because they are such a talented group,” coach Bryan Shelton said.
The No. 11 Gators were one of 15 hosts of ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 26-27, beating No. 39 UNC-Wilmington and No. 71 St. Johns to advance to Seattle. As host, Washington qualified for an automatic berth.
All top-15 schools will be competing this weekend. Seven of those schools come from the Southeastern Conference. Washington comes into the tournament ranked 24th.
“The SEC is loaded,” Shelton said. “It’s the most dominant conference in the nation.”
Before the Gators get the chance to face an SEC school, they will take on the fifth-ranked Waves.
Pepperdine came into this season looking to avenge its loss in last year’s NCAA semifinals. The Waves are off to a fast start this season, posting a 5-0 record.
The Gators’ game plan will not change much, even though the competition is the stiffest they will have seen to this point, Shelton said. He said they will continue to get to the net and attack early in the points.
The faster-paced indoor game benefits senior Bob van Overbeek. Shelton said Van Overbeek has the best serve on the team, which allows him to attack his opponents early and often.
Shelton said there is always room for improvement for not only van Overbeek, but the team. His goals include winning this weekend’s tournament, but his focus remains on the national championship.
“It would be nice if we won this weekend,” Shelton said. “But ultimately, our goal is to improve each and every day to win the NCAA Tournament at the end of the season.”
UF senior Bob van Overbeek returns a volley. Van Overbeek won only his second match since Feb. 3 against Ole Miss on Friday.
