The Gators gear up for their first SEC road trip with a pair of top-50 opponents
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 6 Florida men’s tennis team gears up for a crucial weekend in SEC action, traveling to face No. 44 LSU (9-3, 1-1 SEC) on Friday, Mar. 6, at 6 p.m. ET in Baton Rouge, La., followed by a 2 p.m. ET matchup on Sunday, Mar. 8, with 12th-ranked Texas A&M (9-3, 2-0 SEC). Picked as league favorites, the Gators roll into enemy territory slated to face a capable LSU team and predicted league runner-up in Texas A&M on their home courts.
Florida (14-2, 2-0 SEC) opened the SEC slate last weekend 2-0 after coming away with a sweep over Alabama on Friday, Feb. 28, followed up by a consecutive 7-0 effort over Auburn, in addition to Mercer, on Sunday, Mar. 1.
The Gators remained in the top 10 of the Oracle/ITA National Team rankings released on Tuesday, while moving up to No. 3 in the weekly Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25 poll announced on Wednesday.
Additionally, the ITA announced its latest Individual and Doubles rankings on Tuesday, as Florida continues to boast six ranked individuals and three ranked doubles tandems.
Sophomore co-captain Sam Riffice remains in the top five at No. 5, as junior co-captain Oliver Crawford (No. 10) returned into the top 10 upon his flawless performance last weekend, granting him UTR/ITA National Player of the Week honors on Tuesday. Junior Duarte Vale checked in at No. 22, while freshman Blaise Bicknell notched yet another new career-high ranking at No. 86. Junior Andy Andrade slid to No. 97, while sophomore Lukas Greif rounds out the Gators’ ranked individuals at No. 115.
UF’s No. 1 doubles tandem of Crawford and Riffice (8-2) remain in the top 20 at No. 19, while No. 2 duo of Johannes Ingildsen and Will Grant (9-2) dropped after a loss to the Crimson Tide to remain in the top 50 at No. 45. Ingildsen and Brian Berdusco check in at No. 63, though, the duo has yet to pair up together this season.
The Gators enter this weekend’s competition perfect in SEC singles action (12-0) and 4-1 in doubles play.
Vale (12-2) continues to lead the Gators in singles wins, holding down the No. 3 position with an 8-2 mark, as Riffice (10-2) follows upon a five-match streak from the No. 2 position at 8-1. Andrade (8-1) and Greif (7-2) hold hot hands for the Gators, riding seven-match and six-match win streaks respectively, while junior Josh Goodger (8-2) has emerged as a consistent threat in the lineup, riding a three-match streak at the No. 5 position. Additionally, Crawford continues to defend the top spot for UF with a 7-2 mark, including six top-80 wins thus far.
No. 6 Florida has won the past seven meetings against the Tigers, dating back to 2014, while the Gators have had trouble against the Aggies in recent years, winning their last meeting (3/31/19 – W, 5-2) for the first time in four meetings prior. Additionally, UF and Texas A&M are the only teams among the SEC undefeated through the first weekend of conference play.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
No. 44 LSU Tigers (9-3, 1-1 SEC)
The 44th-ranked Tigers enter this weekend’s action coming off a 4-3 win against then-No. 39 Vanderbilt prior to suffering a 4-3 defeat to Kentucky on Sunday, Mar. 1. Ranked as high as No. 38 at one point, LSU was predicted to finish ninth in the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as the Tigers are led by their lone ranked individual, sophomore No. 96 Boris Kozlov – who boasts an undefeated 8-0 record at the No. 3 position. LSU also receives contributions from senior Rafael Wagner (6-2), formerly ranked No. 108, and first-years Tomas Descarrega (6-2) and Ronald Hohmann (6-4). Additionally, the Tigers are 23-5 through dual doubles action, as LSU’s Wagner and Joey Thomas, formerly ranked in the top 25, and Kozlov/Nick Watson (8-1) lead the LSU doubles attack.
* Series History: 33-28-1, UF leads (7-1 under Bryan Shelton)
* Last Meeting: Mar. 29, 2019 in Gainesville – W, 5-2
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
No. 12 Texas A&M (9-3, 2-0 SEC)
12th-ranked Texas A&M, also ranked No. 8 in the Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25, will serve as a crucial early conference test for the Gators, as they were picked to finish runner-up by the league’s coaches. The Aggies have an abundance of talent in four ranked individuals and one ranked doubles tandem. No. 3-ranked Valentin Vacherot leads the Aggies with an undefeated 10-0 record on the year, while also receiving heavy contributions from No. 28 Hady Habib (7-2), No. 34 Juan Carlos Aguilar (6-3) and No. 111 Barnaby Smith (4-1). Meanwhile, No. 33-ranked Aguilar and Smith lead the Aggies’ doubles attack, with a 4-2 mark from the top spot, while Noah Schachter and Vacherot also hold a strong 7-2 record from the No. 2 position. Texas A&M will receive a test of their own prior to Sunday’s matchup, having to face No. 29 South Carolina on Friday, though, the Aggies have picked up solid wins throughout the season over current top-50 teams in Georgia Tech (now No. 36) and Texas Tech (now No. 20).
* Series History: 5-12, A&M leads (3-9 under Bryan Shelton)
* Last Meeting: Mar. 31, 2019 in Gainesville – W, 5-2
MATCH INFORMATION
* Friday, Mar. 6
* No. 44 LSU – 5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET
* Venue: LSU Tennis Complex
* Sunday, Mar. 8
* No. 12 Texas A&M – 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET
* Venue: Mitchell Tennis Center
