The Stetson men's tennis team continue to struggle to find its footing during the 2021 season, dropping a 5-2 decision to Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
 
The Hatters lost a pair of close, three-set, matches to the Eagles to fall to 2-7 overall and 0-3 in ASUN play. FGCU improved to 5-5 on the year and is 4-1 in league play.
 
"It was not a good match today from the Hatters," Stetson coach Christophe Noblet said. "We did not bring our best nor did we find the right solutions. We can't afford that against a good FGCU team. We must learn, commit all the way to out patterns, and give ourselves a chance to produce a complete match."
 
Stetson got off to a good start toward winning the doubles point with a decisive 6-1 victory on court No. 1 by Antoine Sanchez and Diogo Marques. The momentum didn't carry over to the other two courts as FGCU took wins by scores of 6-4 and 6-3.
 
Singles play continued the Hatters struggles as the top two Stetson players, Sanchez on court No. 1 and Marques on court No. 2, both lost in straight sets.
 
Fabian Penzkofer was the next to fall, forcing a third set on court No. 5, but dropping it 6-1.
 
With the match decided, the Hatters continued to play hard. Alexandre Hillhouse won in three sets on court No. 4 and Tim Gennes followed with a three-set victory on court No. 6.
 
Clement Hamel fell in the final match, falling in the third set 6-4.
 
The Hatters will be back in action on their home court for the final time this spring on Wednesday afternoon when they take on North Florida at 3 p.m. Stetson will honor its two seniors – Sanchez and Linus Bergevi – prior to that match.
 
FGCU 5, Stetson 2
04/03/21 at DeLand, Fla. (Mandy Stoll Tennis Center)
 
Singles competition
1. Magnus Johnson (FGCU) def. Antoine Sanchez (STET) 6-0, 6-4
2. Juan Montes (FGCU) def. Diogo Marques (STET) 7-5, 6-3
3. Randy Wilson (FGCU) def. Clement Hamel (STET) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
4. Alexandre Hillhouse (STET) def. Alessandro Conca (FGCU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
5. Gugli Stefanacci (FGCU) def. Fabian Penzkofer (STET) 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
6. Tim Gennes (STET) def. Max Damm (FGCU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
 
Doubles competition
1. Diogo Marques / Antoine Sanchez (STET) def. Magnus Johnson / Max Damm (FGCU) 6-1
2. Juan Montes / Gugli Stefanacci (FGCU) def. Linus Bergevi / Sven Thiergard (STET) 6-4
3. Randy Wilson / Eric Oncins def. Clement Hamel / Alexandre Hillhouse (STET) 6-3
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,2,5,4,6,3)


About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.