The men’s tennis team will kick off its spring season today at 3 p.m. as it squares off against Furman at Linder Stadium.
The matchup against Furman is considered more of a warmup for Sunday’s match against Baylor, coach Andy Jackson said in an interview with GatorZone TV.
Although Furman isn’t ranked or doesn’t have any ranked players, Jackson isn’t underestimating his opponent.
“There are two basic points. We’re better than Furman,” Jackson said. “But we certainly can figure out a way to lose to Furman.”
The Gators enter the spring ranked No. 9 in the nation and are led by the No. 4 player in the country in senior Alexandre Lacroix.
Lacroix will be looking to rebound after he was upset by Georgia’s Wil Spencer in the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships last weekend.
Besides Lacroix, the Gators feature two other players ranked in the top 125 in talented sophomores Sekou Bangoura Jr. (No. 28) and Bob van Overbeek (No. 52).
Bangoura and van Overbeek had strong fall seasons and will be counted on heavily this spring.
Bangoura capped off his second semester as a Gator. winning in style at the Lakewood Ranch Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic in his hometown of Bradenton. Van Overbeek also won his first collegiate tournament championship as he emerged victorious at the University of Texas Invitational in November.
The Gators’ newest player, freshman spring enrollee Spencer Newman, will not play Friday but could see action as soon as Sunday.
Newman’s addition to an already-talented squad has been a boost on and off the court.
“It seems to me that the chemistry has been outstanding with his transition to the team,” Jackson said.
