Coming off a 5-2 victory against UNF, coach Bryan Shelton and the Gators look to improve to 2-0 as they take on UNC-Wilmington on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the ITA Kickoff at the Ring Tennis Complex.
Shelton was pleased with the way his team played on Wednesday.
“For our home opener, we certainly felt the nerves out there on the court and it was a good match to get through that,” he said.
Despite the win, Shelton sees many areas in which his team needs to improve.
Freshman standout Elliott Orkin and his doubles partner Gordon Watson are also excited to have a chance to redeem themselves after losing 6-2 in their match against UNF. The duo went into the match ranked 13th nationally in doubles.
“I just think we weren’t playing aggressive enough,” Orkin said. “We weren’t making the balls that we normally make.
“[Wednesday] was a little dip in our normal results, but we’ll be back at it this weekend.”
Orkin won his singles match — a two-hour duel against UNF’s Yannick Zuern that went to three sets. He attributed his success Wednesday to advice his older teammates gave him.
“They gave me some tips before the match, things to expect in my first match,” Orkin said. “I took that into consideration and took it with me into the match.”
Shelton described UNC-Wilmington as a tough loaded team that always comes to play.
If Florida were to win Saturday, it would face either Florida State or TCU in the ITA Kickoff Championship on Sunday at 2 p.m. The consolation match will begin that day at noon.
Follow Britnee McCoy on Twitter @TheReporterGirl
