MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo men's tennis heads to Montgomery, Ala. to take on second-seeded Valdosta State in the first round of the Gulf South Conference Championship Tournament on Saturday, April 27.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
So Far This Season…
The Falcons head into the GSC Tournament as the No. 7 seed with a 7-11 overall record and a 3-6 mark in GSC action. The season opened with a pair of 7-0 wins over Tuskegee in early February before the Falcons fell to Alabama State on Feb. 13. Montevallo went on to open GSC play with a pair of wins over Christian Brothers and Delta State for a 2-0 start in conference. Montevallo then fell in four-consecutive matches beginning with a loss to Columbus State on March 2. The Falcons dropped a match to Georgia College before falling to West Florida and Valdosta State in mid-March. Montevallo bounced back with a 7-0 win over Shorter on March 20 before falling to Mississippi College, 5-2, just before spring break. In a three-match road trip over the break, Montevallo posted a 1-2 record with a win over King and a pair of losses to Lincoln Memorial and Tennessee Wesleyan. The Falcons went on to drop a match with West Alabama, 7-0, on the road. The Falcons also dropped a match to Lee on the road before closing the regular season with a 6-1 loss to Auburn Montgomery on April 12.
Individually, Montevallo freshman
Ryota Nakajima has posted a 9-8 overall record and a 5-4 mark in GSC play while
Vittorio Noli is the only other Falcon to post a winning record at 7-6 overall and 2-5 in league play.
Philippe Zehender and Noli posted the best doubles record with a 4-1 overall mark while
Leonidas Lazarides and
Samuel Maia have the most wins with a 5-4 mark overall.
"I think having that belief that you can beat these teams that are untouchable, you know, so we played them super close and like we were right there with them the whole time," said Head Coach
Tanner Stancil when asked how the Falcons can overcome the Blazers on Saturday.
"I think in those moments we have to be bolder, play more aggressive, don't think too much, just go for the shots, hit the ball and just like turn off the head. You know, tennis is a very mental sport, and I think, that's what we have to do tomorrow, turn the head off, just go," said Zehender.
Scouting Valdosta State: LIVE STATS
Valdosta State earned the No. 2 seed after posting a 17-3 overall record with an 8-1 mark in GSC play. The Blazers opened the season with a pair of 7-0 wins over Georgia College and Shorter before taking down No. 2 Barry, 4-3, on Feb. 10. The Blazers then took a 4-1 win over No. 22 Lynn on the road. VSU went on to grab another set of 7-0 wins with a win over No. 5 Columbus State and Montevallo before picking up a 6-1 win over Lander on March 20. The Blazers then added a win over No. 16 Embry-Riddle before taking down West Alabama 7-0 on March 29. The Blazers dropped its first match of the season to No. 9 West Florida on March 30. VSU added another pair of GSC wins with victories against Delta State and Christian Brothers before earning a 5-2 win over No. 17 Mississippi College on April 7. The Blazers went on to take a 7-0 win over Auburn Montgomery. VSU added its final pair of non-conference wins over No. 26 Hawaii Pacific and No. 1 Saint Leo before closing the season with a 4-1 win over Lee on April 21.
Individually, the Blazers are highlighted by Boruch Skierkier with an 18-0 overall record and an 8-0 mark in GSC play. Takeshi Taco follows closely behind with a 16-3 overall mark and an 8-1 mark in conference action while Jerome Iaconi posted a 14-3 record with an unbeaten 8-0 record in GSC action. Skierkier and Jan Skerbatis lead the Blazers' doubles pairings with a 13-2 overall record and a 7-1 mark in conference play while Luca Mack and Rodrgia Carvahlo posted a 9-1 record while going 1-1 in league play.
"I believe in both of these teams, so I know we can do, do well. We just have to stay disciplined out there. We talk about that a lot as being disciplined in those big moments," said Stancil.
