TAMPA, Fla. – Stetson men's tennis pushed South Florida but fell short against the Bulls, 5-2, Sunday afternoon at the Varsity Tennis Court.
Ervin Haris Eminefendic and Juan Jose Rodriguez found success against USF in the loss.
"It was a close match against a very good USF team, ultimately not close enough and we need to look for ways to close the gap, " head coach
Christophe Noblet said "At practice how we get better mentally, physically and with our tennis so that we give ourselves a chance to be closer. If we turn around those three setters and pick up an extra point here and there to get those big wins we work for and strive for. Close but not close enough and I am eager to see the guys' response at practice this week. Hopefully it shows eagerness to keep closing the gap and getting us closer to our ultimate goals."
The Bulls overwhelmed the Hatters on courts 1 and 3 to take the early advantage in the match, 1-0, both by scores of 6-2. On court two was a different story as Rodriguez and Eminefendic defeated USF's Thomas Palvekovich and Bruno Oliveira by the score of 6-4.
Eminefendic carried that mental edge into singles as he was paired against Oliveira taking him down in singles [6-2, 6-0] to tie the contest at 1-1. South Florida reclaimed the advantage after picking up a win on court 1, then were on the verge of victory [3-1] when Tom Pisane got by Bendix Shroeder on court 6, 6-3, 6-3.
Sami Ozzor picked up a set victory to start singles in court 5, but he dropped his contest with Elijah Charm on court 5, 1-6, 6-2, 6-0, confirming the match for the home side. Rodriguez notched a singles win on court 4 following that, but not before Palvekovich gave him stiff competition [4-6, 6-3, 6-3].
Marc Saura battled to the bitter end on court 2 but fell after an opening set win over Alvin Tudorica [5-7, 6-3, 6-3].
Stetson will travel to the Palmetto State with two matches in Charleston. First, SU will take on College of Charleston Saturday at noon at Patriot Point Tennis Center. Sunday, the Hatters face The Citadel at Earle Tennis Center.
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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