MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Florida Southern College men's tennis team started the fall portion of their schedule this weekend competing in the ITA Division II South Regional Championships this past weekend, hosted by Auburn University at Montgomery.
The Mocs sent six athletes:
Mario Garoz,
Chris Fok Kow,
Inaki Braun Simo,
Elliott Altman,
Matteo Feggi, and
Danny Thomas. Though three are returners for the Mocs, Garoz and Braun Simo made their collegiate debuts in the tournament.
Although not able to advance to the round of 32, four of the Mocs competed in the consolation rounds. Braun Simo and Garoz impressed to earn their way to the consolation semis, where they were set against each other for a spot in the finals. The semis and finals for consolations are scheduled to be completed at another date, with one Moccasin making a finals appearance to be finalized later this fall. Altman and Fok Kow competed in the consolation round of 32 where their weekend ended.
For doubles competition, Feggi and Thomas advanced to the round of 16 after a first round win, but ended in a close loss. Braun Simo and Fok Kow made it to the consolation quarterfinals after a consolation win in the round of 16. They fell in a close 8-5 score to end their tournament run.
"It was great to see the guys compete against top players in the South to see where we stand," said head coach
Rhett Rollyson. "There's no question we have talent. We just need to learn that solid tennis is usually good enough without trying to overplay. The main key is having the desire to compete at a high level no matter the circumstance."
Due to the effects of Hurricane Ian, the Mocs have postponed a portion of their attendance to the Mercer Gridiron Classic tournament scheduled for this weekend. Follow FSC_Mocs on social media and fscmocs.com for further schedule updates.
