The Ring Tennis Complex is becoming a stronghold for the Florida men’s team, as it registered victories over two schools in the ITA Kick-Off Tournament this weekend.
The No. 11 Gators defeated both UNC-Wilmington and LSU en route to finishing on top of the tournament, punching their ticket to the National Team Indoors tournament and losing only one set in the process.
“It’s a new year and a new team, and we are going to really enjoy this season,” coach Bryan Shelton said. “I thought our guys competed hard this weekend, and I’m glad that we have guaranteed ourselves a trip to the National Team Indoors.”
Florida faced off against UNCW on Saturday, and the theme for the matchup against the Seahawks was quick-ending matches. The doubles competition only lasted 22 minutes with UNCW winning one combined game.
The singles play wasn’t much different.
The Seahawks only won four combined games in the decisive matches. Play only lasted for 55 minutes before captain Elliott Orkin put away UNCW’s Andres Torres to clinch the victory.
Against SEC foe LSU, the action was more competitive but still swung heavily in favor of the Gators.
Doubles action barely eclipsed 25 minutes, while Florida won hard-fought singles matches, none of which concluded under the hour mark.
“So much of this game is built on confidence,” Shelton said. “And the more times we made good plays, the more confident we got.”
The top performers on the weekend include seniors Orkin and Maxx Lipman, who finished their matches in a timely manner and captured points for their team against both UNCW and LSU.
Alfredo Perez issued a notable performance as well against UNCW. He completed a “double bagel” against UNCW’s No. 1-player Josh Hublitz, winning the match 6-0, 6-0.
Lipman also performed well, snatching a “bagel” of his own and losing only one game, defeating the Seahawks’ Daniel Groom 6-0, 6-1.
Orkin and Kessler also shut out their UNCW opponents in doubles play, defeating the tandem of de Reuda/Groom 6-0.
In all, the Gators’ No. 11 ranking wasn’t tested much this weekend as Florida outmatched its opponents.
However, that won’t be the case this weekend when Florida plays the underdog role and gets its home strength tested against No. 8 Southern California on Saturday and No. 6 UCLA on Sunday.
Contact Mark Stine at mstine@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
UF men's tennis coach Bryan Shelton looks on during Florida's 6-1 win over Troy on Jan. 17, 2016, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
