Both Gator men’s and women’s tennis will be hosting first and second round action in NCAA Tournament play this weekend in Gainesville.
The Gator men start play Saturday at noon and will face the University of North Florida in first round action. Should the Gators advance, they would play Sunday against the winner of Saturday’s first match between South Florida and St. John’s.
The Gator women, ranked number one but a two seed in the tournament, begin play Friday at 2 pm when they face the South Carolina State Bulldogs. South Carolina State won the MEAC league title, giving them a berth in the NCAA tournament. The last time the Gators faced the Bulldogs was in 2014 when the Gators won 4-0. The Gators have actually faced this team five times in the NCAA first round and the Gators are 5-0 against the Bulldogs.
This year, the Gators went unbeaten in SEC play and won both the regular season and tournament championships. Gator coach Roland Thornqvist says his team is ready to play and looking forward to a long run in the tournament.
Last year the Gators reached the NCAA quarterfinals but fell to the 2015 NCAA champion Vanderbilt Commodores. Thornqvist believes playing a very tough schedule this year and doing well in that schedule will prepare his team well for the NCAA tournament.
If Florida wins Friday, it will play the winner of Syracuse and Georgia State on Saturday.
Tomorrow. We begin a new season, a new journey. We're Gators and we're ready. https://t.co/lOB9bKazQU#GoGators #STS
— Gator Women's Tennis (@GatorsWTN) May 12, 2016