Troy University Athletics
Trojans Add Match, Fourth-Ranked Florida
2/5/2008 6:00:00 AM | Tennis
TROY, Ala. - Troy University women's tennis head coach Eric Hayes announced that the Trojans will travel Thursday to Gainesville to face fourth-ranked Florida in a non-conference match.
Troy (1-3) played this weekend against Jacksonville State University and the University of Mississippi, and were supposed to be off until hosting the University of North Florida this weekend. However, due to Florida (2-0) losing three matches, either to weather or the flu, the Gators were in need of a match.
The latest match that the Gators lost was due to a last-minute cancellation, leaving the team scrambling trying to find a match that could help them be ready for the indoor championships around the corner. And the phone call was placed this morning to Troy, with the details of the match finalized later in the day.
"Our whole goal is to win the conference championship," Hayes said. "It is an honor for us to be invited to play them on short notice. They could have picked anyone to play, but they choose us. It just reinforces our philosophy that we will play the best anytime, anywhere. This match will go a long way in preparing us for the Sun Belt Conference tournament."
Having all ready played 10th-ranked Clemson and 30th-ranked South Carolina, the Trojans will face a top five team for the first time this season. The Gators are the highest ranked SEC school in the poll, and have four of their top six singles players ranked in the Top 100 in the nation.
Megan Alexander highlights the listing of Florida players in the top 100, coming in at 37th; while teammate Anastasia Revzina comes into the match ranked 50th in the nation. Csilla Borsanyi is ranked 59th, while teammate Diana Srebrovic is ranked 92nd in the nation. She is below Troy's lone player in the top 100, Annabelle Bares at 65th.
Not only do the Gators have four players listed in singles, but the team of Diana Srebovic and Csilla Borsanyi are ranked 23rd in the nation in doubles, while the team of Whitney Benik and Anastasia Revzina is ranked 39th in doubles for Florida.
Florida (2-0) got its 2007-08 season off to an impressive start, earning a 7-0 win over Stetson and Central Florida.
The Gators have won 58 consecutive regular season home matches (not including SEC Tournament or NCAA Championship) entering Thursday's match against the Trojans. The current streak is the second-longest of its kind in program history, trailing only the 71 in a row compiled from 1994-2001.
Florida also enters Thursday's match against Troy sporting an overall 44-match home win streak, with the last loss being a 4-3 decision on May 15, 2004 against Miami in the second round of the NCAA Championships. The current streak is the second-longest of its kind in program history, trailing only 60 consecutive victories from 1994-97.
The match will take place at 2:30 p.m. at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville.
