Men’s tennis hosts Gators

The USF men’s tennis team (1-1, 0-0), which is coming off of a tough 5-2 loss against Florida State last weekend, prepares to face the No. 13 Florida Gators (2-2, 0-0) in Gainesville at 3 p.m. today in what promises to be an intense series for both teams.

“We always play hard and put up a good fight against Florida. I ran into Jeff Morrison – a former tennis player for the Gators – and he told me that out of all the teams UF played while he was playing, the one that intimidated them the most was USF. That’s the way we want every team to feel when they are about to face us. We want teams to fear us,” USF coach Don Barr said.

The Gators come into the series with three nationally ranked players and a 5-2 loss to No. 4 Baylor last weekend. Florida is 2-0 at home and has yet to allow a single point on its turf.

Last year, the series between Gators and Bulls went down to the last match, as the Gators took the series 4-3.

“We have to have a refuse-to-lose type of attitude,” said Barr.

This series could have serious repercussions off the court, as the top recruits in Florida could decide which school to attend next year based on how the series turns out.

“If we can become the top team in Florida, we can get a leg up in the ‘recruiting war’ we have with Florida, Florida State and Miami,” said Barr.

The Bulls will also play Jacksonville University on Sunday afternoon at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.