SEC opener, pretty important match....this is a team UF has already beaten last month. In that match UF won the doubles point, #1, #5 (Greif), #6 (Tokac) UF loses a tight doubles point, so the road becomes very long
First sets winding down Nefve up 5-4 Grant with a nice set 6-3 Nate struggling again 2-6, can't seem to round into form Braswell 3-5...was serving at 3-4 and lost 3 straight points to get broken Greif 3-3 Orlikowski 5-5
Nefve gets a service break to take set 1 7-5 Grant down 1-3 after winning his first Nate up 2-1 after losing first Braswell 3 straight to lead 6-5 Greif loses 2 straight and his set 4-6....that one hurts Orli wins a first set TB Pretty much dead even in singles, and why the doubles was so important
Nefve loses his second, up 2-1 in third....must win Grant closes his match out for UF point Nate crushed 2-6 2-6, very disappointing Braswell 4-6 second, on to third Grief 4-6 3-6 Orli wins 7-6 7-6, clutch for the newcomer UF trails 2-3.....need Nefve and Braswell 3rd set wins
Nefve was reeling, facing a pair of break points to go down 3-4, he saves both and holds for 4-3 Braswell quickly down 0-2
Braswell retires down 0-4 to clinch for MSU Nefve had a couple of match points but drops them and his match is 5-5, looks like thy will finish
Nefeve loses 5 of the lst 6 points , the tiebreak, and the match MSU 5 UF 2 Poor start to the conference
There is nothing good to say about the performance of our team this afternoon in Starkville with the exception of Will Grant. Will had a tough start to the season but is peaking at exactly the right time. This is a match this young Florida team needed to win but they did not come prepared and let it slip through their fingers. No one associated with the program is happy about this loss. MSU has a decent team but even though the match was moved indoors the Gators should have been able to rise to the occasion but they didn't. Growing pains are difficult but it seems this team has not learned a few important lessons along the way in the preseason match schedule. This is the FIRST Gator loss in the SEC in FOUR years! It is being taken hard and it should be!
Definitely a step back.....just have to get more from Grief and Nate, can't rely on rookies in SEC play. If those guys can't be competitive you almost have to just throw the young guys like Tokac out there and take your lumps. Grant has already exceeded my expectations, great improvement....props to him and the coaches. Hoping Braswell was just cramps, he's struggled to finish of late but hoping that pays off down the line.
We didn't have open slots for starters.....the roster was packed with a ton of talent. Coach Hoc has commented on guys not wanting to come and sit. last years roster was simply insane, how we didn't win it all will always be frustrating. Then Shelton just totally explodes and turns pro, I don't think many expected that until after this season. Then Shelbayh turns pro this fall,probably would have been in the lineup this season. With Shelton at 1, Nefve at 2, Grant at 3, Nate/jonah/Shelbayh at 4, etc etc this lineup looks and performs very differently. Maybe not a title team, but a threat and in the conversation. That said, Greif and Nate have underperformed in my book....although health may be a factor. And from what I can tell none of the first year guys at this very early point look elite. Nirundorn looks like a doubles specialist, Braswell a great scrapper but seemingly a mid ladder guy and Orlikowski a similar vein. Tokac may have the best upside what little I have seen, but he is a very long way from putting it together. And Zgola hasn't played yet, so who knows. I'm hoping coach has an ace up his sleeeve for next year because as it stands now we will likely be in a similar situation. I'm sure some of the young guys will be much improved, but we are presently a team without a true #1 and we are losing the guy that is playing in that slot. At present I am unaware of any players headed here next year....the top 5 state recruits are all headed elsewhere.
There is alot going on within the program that has made this season even more difficult that it might have been. NIL situations are also making recruiting more difficult. Remember the portal is another area that is ripe for recruiting. The standards this coaching staff demands of its players will not be compromised.
No, I am sorry but I am not at liberty to comment on that. My point was to make fans aware that these players and coaches have a life outside of tennis that needs their attention just as much as the on court regimin at times. I am not in any way insinuating that the program is being short changed. This team is very tight and has been working hard throughout the fall and continuing into this spring.
