The UF men’s tennis team will get no love this month.
The No. 11 Gators will face a daunting February schedule. Yet, for coach Bryan Shelton and his players, February is just another month.
“This is a pretty typical schedule,” said Shelton. “For us, it’s knowing that if you come here to Florida, you’re going to get the opportunity to play against the best competition in the country.”
“The best” is not an understatement.
Florida will play No. 1 Virginia, No. 3 Ohio State and participate at the ITA National Indoor championships this month.
However, the Gator men will kick off February with a PAC 12-SEC showdown, hosting the No. 8 USC Trojans on Saturday followed by a matchup with the No. 6 UCLA Bruins on Sunday at the Ring Tennis Complex.
For some Gators, these matchups will fall into a saga that dates back four years.
Seniors Elliott Orkin and Maxx Lipman and redshirt-junior Josh Wardell will all take part in their fourth matchup against these California powerhouses. And according to Shelton, their experience could go a long way.
“Having guys that have been in these matchups, that have had success before against these teams, who are able to relay that to the younger guys: ‘we are playing to win.’ That certainly helps to have that leadership.”
As for how the Gators are going to run the gauntlet of February, Shelton and his team have adopted teachings from the mind of Dan Quinn, the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach whose team will be competing in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Quinn uses a myriad of buzzwords and phrases such as “Togetherness,” “Rise Up,” and most impactful to Shelton, “Brotherhood.”
“We need to be tough from one to six,” Shelton said. “Everybody’s got to do their job. And you don’t want to let your brother down.”
Contact Mark Stine at mstine@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
Coach Bryan Shelton talks with sophomores Elliott Orkin and Maxx Lipman during Florida's 9-3 win against William & Mary on Jan. 10 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
