DELAND, Fla. – In a thrilling come-from-behind victory, Stetson men's tennis knocked off Georgia State, 4-3, Friday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. After a check of both Georgia State's and Stetson's archives, this is the first recorded Hatter victory over GSU.
"That was a big win for us, a big win for the program," head coach
Christophe Noblet said "Georgia State is the Sun Belt's defending champions. We lost the doubles point again but this team didn't quit, I'm proud of them. We're down to six guys right now, but they put the pieces together and made no excuses then went all the way. That is huge about their commitment, dedication and how united they are. I have said it before that this is a fun group of guys that really play for each other and that was obvious at the end. It was just like we were playing fearless; we were playing for us, and it was just lovely to see."
To start Stetson fell in the doubles with
Lucas Olivier and
Marc Saura falling to Georgia State's Robers Grinvalds and Gabriele Datei 6-3 on court 1 with
Sami Ozzor and Bendix Schroder falling to Ricardo Batista and Edward Tymes 6-4 on court 3. Court 2 was tied at six resulting in an unfinished set.
"It was a really tough match, because those guys are very good," Lucas They had some new guys, but they still played at a great level and know how to fight and win big matches. We have been working really hard [training]. It was really important to win the doubles [point], but we didn't, and we kept fighting. I was seeing on every court, everybody was fighting on every ball and doing everything they could to win. At the end, we won and we're happy, but we need to focus on the next match."
On court 3, Juan Jose Rodriguez battled but fell to Gabriele Datei 6-4, 6-1 putting Stetson down 2-0. The Hatters fought back with
Lucas Olivier defeating Roberts Grinvalds, 6-2, 7-5, on court 1 along with
Marc Saura defeating Diego Padiha 6-3, 6-1 on court 2 tying the contest at 2-2. Georgia State's Edward Tymes picked up a win over Stetson's
Bendix Schroeder 6-1, 6-2 on court 6 putting the visitor's a point away from taking the victory but Haris Eminefendic picked up a win over Diogo Morais 6-1, 6-4 on court 4, then
Sami Ozzor secured the Hatter win by taking Ricardo Batista down 7-5, 6-4.
"This is my eighth year and I think this is the only match where at the end I stepped back," Noblet said about the closing of the match "We have our new volunteer Tim [Gennes] handling the match there with the captain on the court, the rest of the team is there loud and involved, I did not need to step in. Either they will figure it out and win, but there's nothing I can add to the equation. I think that I gave them that extra piece of freedom too, that signified that I trust them. I think that was the lesson of the day: when we play fearless, loose and free, we are a good team. Winning the big matches like this enforces that and gives a boost of confidence."
Stetson bounces from one big test to the next as they travel to Tampa to face off with South Florida. The contest will happen Sunday at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts starting at 2:30 p.m.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF).
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