The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are in College Station, Texas, this week as they are set to begin the SEC Championships.
Heading into the 2018 season, the biggest question facing the Gators was how they would replace the production of last year’s seniors.
The loudest voices on the courts of the Ring Tennis Complex prefer quiet before a match.
Stan and LaTasha Holloway watched eagerly from the sidelines as their son, sophomore Grant Holloway, peeled off without hesitation at the sound of the starting gun.
With 8:19 remaining in the first half, Florida held a 7-5 lead over Colorado. Buffaloes attacker Samantha Nemirov sprinted toward the net and released a hard shot in the direction of UF goalkeeper Haley Hicklen. Hicklen reacted quickly, snagging the ball out of the air for a save.
Nothing about the red and gray courts at Ohio State’s Varsity Indoor Tennis Center resembled home for Florida’s men’s tennis team. Losing the first four points of a dual match was just as strange to the No. 11 program in the nation.
In the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, Florida’s women’s tennis team defeated Wisconsin in a 5-0 blowout. During the second round of the tournament against Vanderbilt on Saturday, the Gators were on the other end of a shutout.
Grant Holloway pounded his fist against his chest, pumped it repeatedly into the air and fell to his knees in the middle of the Clemson University Indoor Complex, overcome with emotion after his race on Friday.
On Wednesday, Florida women’s tennis player Josie Kuhlman lost the final set in UF’s match against Oklahoma State, clinching the Cowgirls’ victory. At the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, she was an integral part of the Gators’ dominant sweep over Wisconsin.
Only silence traveled with the ball as Michigan senior Alex Knight launched a forehand deep out of play. The error settled Florida junior Alfredo Perez’s comeback victory on the No. 1 singles court and clinched the UF men’s tennis team’s first win over a ranked opponent this season. The crowd in Ann Arbor shut down immediately.
After senior Josie Kuhlman’s heartbreaking loss on Wednesday to hand the Gators their second loss in a row, coach Roland Thornqvist assured that the team’s level of play would be enough to lead it to victory during the season. At the first meet of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, Florida will have an imposing first test to see if those words will ring true.
The Florida lacrosse team has not reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2015.
UF’s No. 1 men’s and No. 6 women’s track and field teams are in Iowa and South Carolina today and Saturday for a two-meet weekend. The pair of matchups will be their last before SEC Indoor Championships start later this month.
The Florida men’s tennis team will open a stretch of indoor play tonight on the road against No. 13 Michigan. Following a disappointing loss to then No. 22 Florida State, the Gators hope to adopt a more aggressive brand of tennis.
Florida women’s golf coach Emily Glaser chuckled.
Senior women’s tennis player Josie Kuhlman couldn’t help but feel confident.
Last Saturday, the No. 3 Florida women’s tennis team walked into its dual meet against Florida State with a 55-1 all-time record against the Seminoles, but was swiftly defeated 4-1.
The Florida women’s tennis team is a tale of two extremes. With three freshmen and four seniors on the roster, the squad is a perfect balance of veterans and rookies.
The Florida men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams completed their third day at the Auburn Invitational on Sunday.
Alone with only the sound of music playing from his phone and the power of his imagination, freshman Oliver Crawford prepared to serve.
Solutions by The State News
