#25 Men's Tennis to Face #13 Rollins to Open SSC Championships

LAKELAND, Fla. - The No. 25 Florida Southern College men's tennis team earned a six-seed in the 2023 Sunshine State Conference Championships set to begin this week. The Mocs will face No. 13/3^rd-Seed Rollins College on Thursday to open the conference tournament.
 
LOCATION: IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. – Hosted by Florida Southern College
COURTS: IMG Tennis Academy - 5500 34th St W., Bradenton, Fla. 34210
DATE: April 20-22 (Rain Day April 23), 10:00 a.m. Quarterfinals vs Rollins College
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL: https://sunshinestateconference.com/news/2023/4/10/championship-central-2023-ssc-mens-womens-tennis.aspx
 
"We are excited for the opportunity to host the SSC Championships and take part in the tournament," said first-year head coach for the Moccasins Rhett Rollyson. "We look forward to a rematch against Rollins and we know that if we play well, we can win. Doubles will be huge playing clinch and we know that we must start out fast and strong. If we start out slow, we must have the grit to hang in and find a way to stay out on the court for as long as possible."
 
6^th Seed – The Moccasins – Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Statistics
Florida Southern earned a bid into the SSC Championship with a six-seed and 15-8 overall record. The Mocs are 2-5 in the conference, having beat Eckerd 6-1 and Palm Beach Atlantic 5-2 over the course of the season. In the most recent ITA National Rankings, the Mocs enter 25^th in the nation, after a 4-3 win against No. 34 Queens College last week on Senior Day. Notable wins this season, FSC beat No. 4 Flagler 4-3 as the best program victory in the last 15 recorded years. FSC had a nine-match win streak during the season and the 15 wins are the most in program history since 2011 and the best overall record since 2010.
 
The Mocs are led by captains Chris Fok Kow and Danny Thomas. Both have been great for the Mocs this season with Fok Kow paired with Matteo Feggi in doubles and ninth in the nation among Division II doubles pairings. Freshman Mario Garoz has also been great with a 75^th placement among singles for most of the season. Garoz leads the team with an 18-4 singles record, the best record for a freshman since Alberto Bonfil in 1997 and tied for third as the most singles wins in a season for FSC men's tennis. Mocs have had top records by Inaki Braun Simo, Fok Kow, and Elliott Altman each with 12 or more wins. Alex Fascio and John Gidefjord each had 10 wins.
 
3^rd Seed – The Tars - Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Statistics
Rollins will enter as a three-seed for the SSC tournament to take on the Mocs after a 15-5 overall record and 5-2 in the SSC. The Tars have been in the top 25 or registering votes throughout the entire year with conference wins over Lynn, Embry-Riddle, Florida Southern, Eckerd, and PBA. Most recently, Rollins beat DIII opponent Washington and Lee University 6-1 earlier this week. Against the No. 1 Saint Leo Lions, the Tars lost 4-0 to end conference play.
 
The Tars have one doubles pairing nationally ranked, with Luke Quaynor and Efe Comu 11^th among Division II doubles. Among singles, Comu is 58^th and Quaynor is 71^st in the nation. Earlier this season, Comu earned SSC Player of the Week honors after helping the Tars to three consecutive 7-0 sweeps.
 
FSC in the SSC Championship
Florida Southern is looking for their first win in the SSC Championship since 2013 when the Mocs beat Florida Tech 5-2. Last season, the Mocs lost to Saint Leo 4-1 with a court win by Brandon Pham the only point for FSC. Overall, the Mocs have a 20-29 record in the SSC tournament with two SSC Championships, the first in 2000 when the Mocs beat Barry in the final round and the second in 2002 with a win over Rollins for the title.
 
The Matchup – FSC vs Rollins
Both teams faced each other in the regular season with a 5-2 Rollins victory in Lakeland on February 23^rd. In that match, FSC nearly won the doubles point, falling just short in a tiebreak loss at #2 court. A tiebreak in singles proved costly for the Mocs from Altman and Braun Simo nearly won his first set but was upset by Quaynor. Mocs have lost the last eight matches to the Tars, with five SSC tournament losses. The last time the Mocs beat Rollins in the SSC tourney was a 5-2 win in 2008, to win third place.
 
Other Games in the SSC
Friday, April 20 - Quarterfinals - 10:00 AM
#1 Saint Leo vs. #8 Eckerd
#2 Barry vs. #7 Palm Beach Atlantic
#3 Rollins vs. #6 Florida Southern
#4 Lynn vs. #5 Embry-Riddle