The weather is heating up and so is the semester for the ABAC tennis team, which scored big wins at their home match against Georgia Southwestern University (GSW) on March 8. Fellow students, friends and family of players from both schools came out to support their teams.
After a rough start to the semester with several losses, the men's team took a commanding presence on the courts. They ended the day with a 7-2 victory. Nick Rosatti, an assistant coach for the team, was "extremely impressed" with the men's performance.
"We overcame an early break at number two doubles to take a 2-1 lead," he said. The performance in singles was equally good, he said. "Number four and five singles played well under pressure and won two very close matches."
Gabriel Sa, in his final semester at ABAC, started off with a 0-3 deficit in number five singles but came back hard in his second set to a 7-5 7-5 win. Other players on the men's team worked just as hard for their wins. Frederic Fibleuil, a sophomore, played hard in singles and doubles, in which he was partnered with Lukas Zavrel.
"I really liked how I performed with my partner. We played well in doubles and didn't leave any opportunity for our opponent." It was especially good to experience a win at home. "We do not have the opportunity to play at home every day, that's why we gave everything."
For many of the players, including Fibleuil, this match was their last home match before they finish their time at ABAC, making it an important and bittersweet moment for the team. While the women's team struggled, only coming away from the day with a 1-8 loss, Agustina Diaz is proud to have taken home a win in number one singles, in her last home match as a Filly.
March 8-11 takes the team to Pensacola where they will spend the weekend competing against some of the top teams in the country. From there, the team will play in various matches through the rest of the semester in preparation for the national tournament in April.
Created by Hannah Robinson, Stallion Newspaper