Only a handful of freshmen play well enough to be named Southeastern Conference Freshmen of the Week over the course of the season.
On Wednesday, Kourtney Keegan did it for the second time.
Florida’s first-year player was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for the second time in as many weeks, and the numbers certainly back her up. Last weekend, Keegan won her team-leading 30th doubles match, her 28th overall singles match, and both of her singles matches in straight sets.
But Keegan doesn’t have much time to celebrate her recent accomplishments as No. 11 Florida (17-4, 9-2 SEC) prepares to face No. 5 Vanderbilt (17-4, 10-1 SEC) today at 3 p.m. at the Ring Tennis Complex.
Today’s dual match may carry the most postseason implications of any match this season.
The Commodores appear to be the most formidable opponent the Gators will face at home this year. Vanderbilt is in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC standings and hasn’t lost a dual match since March 9 at Texas A&M.
“It’s going to be really tough,” coach Roland Thornqvist said. “One thing that stands out with this Vanderbilt team is they have pretty much the same type of player, or quality of player, up and down the line.
“There are no holes in their lineup.”
That sounds familiar.
The Gators pride themselves on piecing together a complete lineup from top to bottom and may feel as if they’re looking into a mirror when they face the Commodores this afternoon. Picking the correct matchups on Courts 1 through 6 may be the deciding factor in today’s contest.
While the Gators will look to play to their strength — depth in singles — they will likely have to control doubles action if they hope to keep their 129-match home winning streak alive. Florida will depend on its No. 24 doubles duo of Sofie Oyen and Belinda Woolcock, as well as the No. 26 team of Olivia Janowicz and Keegan to set the tone today.
Thornqvist is confident that both pairings are equipped for the challenge.
“They’ve really epitomized what we’re trying to do in doubles,” he said of both ranked duos.
“They hit the ball hard, they play close to the net, and they have great courage in play calling. When you do that, and you make returns and you make first serves … then you see what they’re bringing right now. They’re beating great teams and they’re doing it the right way.”
The Keegan-Janowicz tandem has one loss during dual-match season, with the loss coming on Feb. 8 against Northwestern. The UF duo will likely face Vanderbilt’s No. 32 doubles team of Courtney Colton and Lauren Mira.
“There are no spots where you say, ‘Hey, [Vanderbilt is] good there but not so good there,’” Thornqvist said. “They’re good at all six spots, and if you look at their record, they’ve picked up points at [Courts] 1 through 6 in singles, as well as 1, 2 and 3 in doubles.
“We certainly have to be ready for them, and our freshmen have to be mature enough to handle it. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @ibcohen5
Kourtney Keegan returns a ball during Florida’s 4-0 win against Harvard on Jan. 26 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
