LAKELAND, Fla. – Florida Southern College men's tennis started the 2020 season on a high note as it stunned Flagler, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Wynee Warden Tennis Center. The Moccasins' (1-0) victory over the No. 7 Saints (1-1) is the second highest-ranked win in program history, with the last top-10 victory occurring nearly a decade ago.
"I couldn't be more excited about this team and this year," head coach Greg Van Emburgh. "Today was a great win that they deserved, but I'm more proud of all the commitment that they have to our program and the culture they are creating."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The German duo of Valentin Hertweck and Pablo Salamanca cruised in the No. 3 doubles flight with a 6-0 win while Andres Cabezas and Erik Nordblom earned a 6-1 win in the No. 1 doubles flight. Luca Bolla and Jiri Jenicek of Flagler defeated the Pham brothers, 6-3, in the No. 2 flight, but the Mocs took the doubles point.
- Chase Martin and Nordblom kicked the singles flights off for the Mocs with wins in the No. 6 and No. 2 flights, respectively. Martin won 6-4, 6-1 over Cedric Holzmann while Nordblom won by an identical scoreline over Rodrigo Carvalho.
- No. 47 Bolla defeated Brandon Pham 6-2, 6-1 in the first flight, but a 6-2, 6-4 victory for Hertweck in the No. 3 flight clinched the match for the Moccasins.
- Cabezas fell 7-5, 6-3 in the No. 4 flight, but Oscar Sohl battled hard in the No. 5 flight to take a 6-4, 6-2 victory and give the Moccasins a 5-2 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The win is the first for the Moccasins over the Saints in Lakeland in program history. The Mocs are now 4-10 all-time against Flagler, with the last win coming on March 6, 2008, in St. Augustine in a 6-3 win.
- The No. 7 Saints are the second highest-ranked opponent that the Moccasins have ever defeated. The Mocs defeated No. 2 Lynn in a 5-4 match on Feb. 17, 2007. The most recent top-15 victory came on Feb. 23 of last year when the Mocs defeated No. 12 Palm Beach Atlantic, 5-2, in Lakeland. The Mocs previously defeated No. Lander on March 3, 2008, in a 5-4 win and No. 10 Rollins on March 27, 2010, in a 6-3 win.
- The Mocs are starting the season with a 1-0 record for the first time since 2013 when FSC started the season with a 4-3 win over Bethune-Cookman.
UP NEXT:
- The Moccasins will host another top-10 opponent in No. 3 West Florida on Monday for a 2 p.m. contest at the Wynee Warden Tennis Center.
