The No. 2 Florida Gators clinched their 138th straight home victory on Sunday after defeating No. 10 Stanford 4-3 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
But with a tough Southeastern Conference schedule ahead of them, the team is not putting much emphasis on that number.
The Gators take pride in the streak, but it was not discussed in the locker room this weekend, coach Roland Thornqvist said.
More than 1,000 Gator fans filled the stands during Sunday’s match against Stanford, and Thornqvist said the energy and atmosphere helped the team overcome the adversities.
He believes the players handled the challenging week incredibly well.
Florida was able to bounce back in singles Sunday after a rough start in doubles play — an area the team has been strong at this season.
Thornqvist said the team was scared, and it was mostly his fault. He didn’t think he did a good job in the locker room. But despite losing the doubles point for just the fourth time this season on Sunday, the Gators rallied during singles action to take home the win with junior Brianna Morgan clinching the match.
"The fact that we were able to discard what happened in doubles and play such phenomenal singles does say a lot about the team, no question," Thornqvist said.
"But, I think that we’ve learned now with losing the doubles point to Clemson, winning 4-3 and losing the doubles point (Sunday) that we can win big matches without having the initial point".
Thornqvist has a lot of confidence in his team. He believes his athletes are ready to transition into SEC play. With a roster filled with primarily underclassmen, he said the team needs to focus on being emotionally ready to compete every time it plays.
"We need to be sure we adjust our training volume during the week so that we are ready," Thornqvist said. "You know this weekend was certainly not just physically draining but emotionally."
Thornqvist said it’s important to do the right thing during the week for his young team to be ready for every weekend contest.
Florida hosts the defending SEC Champions, No. 8 Alabama this Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 27 Auburn Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
"As a team, I think we are pretty good," Thornqvist said. "There might be a little thing here and there individually that we need to improve on. But fitness wise, I think we are right where we need to be."
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Brianna Morgan awaits a serve during Florida's 4-0 win against Maryland on Jan. 25 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
