Friday, February 14
Madison, Wis.
4:30 P.M.
Columbia University
vs
Florida
No. 9 Columbia Begins National Indoors vs. No. 3 Florida
2/13/2020 12:25:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Lions will begin the ITA National Team Indoor Championship against the Gators on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET
MADISON, Wis. — For the third-straight year and fifth time in six seasons, the ninth-ranked Columbia men's tennis team will head to the 16-team ITA National Team Indoor Championships this weekend, Feb. 14-17, in Madison, Wisconsin. The Lions will open up action against No. 5 seed Florida on Friday at 3:30 p.m. CT at Nielson Tennis Stadium.
The Lions (3-1) earn the No. 12 seed in the tournament after defeating then-No. 14 Oklahoma State and then-No. 16 Tennessee in ITA Kickoff Weekend.
LIONS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As decided in 2011, no Oracle/ITA Division I Team Rankings are released the week of the National Indoors, so Columbia remains at No. 9 overall. However, the Lions moved to No. 12 in the Tennis Channel/USTA College Top 25 released on Feb. 12.
Three individuals and one doubles team remain in the ITA's singles and doubles rankings. Junior Jack Lin continues to lead the way in singles, ranked No. 20 nationally, ahead of No. 99 Alex Kotzen and No. 109 Jackie Tang. Tang and Lin combine to form the nation's fifth-ranked tandem.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Third-ranked Florida comes into the weekend with a 9-1 overall record, with their lone loss coming against then-No. 2 Texas, 5-2, on Jan. 15. Most recently, the Gators defeated Purdue, 6-1, on Sunday, Feb. 9. The team's sole ranked victory came over No. 21 Florida State on Feb. 1.
Florida earned entrance to the National Indoors with wins over Temple and USF. Against USF, who Columbia also defeated 7-0 on Feb. 2, the Gators won 4-0, however the Bulls claimed first-set wins on courts five and six which went unfinished.
The Gators' singles lineup features five ranked singles players, as well as three ranked doubles combinations. In singles, No. 4 Sam Riffice is joined by No. 11 Duarte Vale, No. 23 Oliver Crawford, No. 90 Lukas Greif and No. 112 Blaise Bicknell. Doubles teams include No. 13 Crawford/Riffice, No. 24 Johannes Ingildsen/Will Grant and No. 57 Ingildsen/Brian Berdusco.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Columbia has never defeated the Gators in the all-time series, with Florida owning a 5-0 edge in matchups. The meeting will be the first between the programs since March 18, 1989, where Florida won, 6-3, in Tampa, Florida.
LAST TIME OUT
Columbia is looking to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to No. 13 Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 9. Michigan claimed the all-important doubles point, before the two teams split singles. The match came down to the top court where Lin fell to No. 48 Andrew Fenty, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. The Wolverines also will compete in this weekend's event, earning the No. 9 seed in the tournament.
UP NEXT
The winner of Friday's match will face the victor of No. 4-seed North Carolina vs. No. 13-seed South Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT, while the consolation match will be played at the same time.
For the latest on the Columbia men's tennis, follow @ColumbiaMTennis on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
The Lions (3-1) earn the No. 12 seed in the tournament after defeating then-No. 14 Oklahoma State and then-No. 16 Tennessee in ITA Kickoff Weekend.
LIONS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As decided in 2011, no Oracle/ITA Division I Team Rankings are released the week of the National Indoors, so Columbia remains at No. 9 overall. However, the Lions moved to No. 12 in the Tennis Channel/USTA College Top 25 released on Feb. 12.
Three individuals and one doubles team remain in the ITA's singles and doubles rankings. Junior Jack Lin continues to lead the way in singles, ranked No. 20 nationally, ahead of No. 99 Alex Kotzen and No. 109 Jackie Tang. Tang and Lin combine to form the nation's fifth-ranked tandem.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Third-ranked Florida comes into the weekend with a 9-1 overall record, with their lone loss coming against then-No. 2 Texas, 5-2, on Jan. 15. Most recently, the Gators defeated Purdue, 6-1, on Sunday, Feb. 9. The team's sole ranked victory came over No. 21 Florida State on Feb. 1.
Florida earned entrance to the National Indoors with wins over Temple and USF. Against USF, who Columbia also defeated 7-0 on Feb. 2, the Gators won 4-0, however the Bulls claimed first-set wins on courts five and six which went unfinished.
The Gators' singles lineup features five ranked singles players, as well as three ranked doubles combinations. In singles, No. 4 Sam Riffice is joined by No. 11 Duarte Vale, No. 23 Oliver Crawford, No. 90 Lukas Greif and No. 112 Blaise Bicknell. Doubles teams include No. 13 Crawford/Riffice, No. 24 Johannes Ingildsen/Will Grant and No. 57 Ingildsen/Brian Berdusco.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Columbia has never defeated the Gators in the all-time series, with Florida owning a 5-0 edge in matchups. The meeting will be the first between the programs since March 18, 1989, where Florida won, 6-3, in Tampa, Florida.
LAST TIME OUT
Columbia is looking to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to No. 13 Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 9. Michigan claimed the all-important doubles point, before the two teams split singles. The match came down to the top court where Lin fell to No. 48 Andrew Fenty, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. The Wolverines also will compete in this weekend's event, earning the No. 9 seed in the tournament.
UP NEXT
The winner of Friday's match will face the victor of No. 4-seed North Carolina vs. No. 13-seed South Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT, while the consolation match will be played at the same time.
For the latest on the Columbia men's tennis, follow @ColumbiaMTennis on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
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Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on advancing to semifinals at NCAA Championships
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