#15 Men's Tennis to Face #48 Fighting Knights in SSC Quarterfinal

LAKELAND, Fla. – The No. 15 Florida Southern College men's tennis team enters the Sunshine State Conference championships as a three-seed to face No. 48/six-seed Lynn University in the SSC quarterfinals on Friday morning at the Mitch Gornto Tennis Center
 
SSC Quarterfinal
Opponent: No. 48/six-seed Lynn University
Location: West Palm Beach, Fla. | Mitch Gornto Tennis Center
Date: Friday, April 25, 2024 | 9:00 a.m.
Tournament Page: https://sunshinestateconference.com/tournaments/?id=252
 
The Moccasins captured its 28^th SSC tournament appearance as the three-seed, the highest seeding in the conference postseason in recent history. FSC recorded its third-straight season with 15 wins, currently 15-7 overall and 4-3 in conference. 2025 is also the first season since 2010 in which the Mocs had a winning conference record. In the latest NCAA regional rankings, Florida Southern is No. 7 in the South region, remaining in NCAA postseason contention. Barry (#3), Saint Leo (#4), Embry-Riddle (#6), and Rollins (#9) round out the remaining SSC teams in the regional top-10 rankings.
 
"We are very happy to be seeded third as it's been quite a while since we've been there in this prestigious conference," said head coach Rhett Rollyson. "We haven't won a conference tournament match in over 10 years, and nothing will be handed to us. Lynn is the best six-seed I've ever seen, and they can beat us and others. Our preparation has been good, and we know a regional bid could be possible, but we have some work to do."
 
No. 15/Three-Seed Moccasins | Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Stats
The Moccasins have excelled in 2025, remaining in the top 30 in national rankings throughout the season, ranking as high as No. 11 for two weeks in a row earlier this month. The 15-win season has been highlighted by a 4-3 upset over No. 15 Charleston, two wins over Division I opponents, a neutral-site win over No. 23 Emporia State, and the first win in 10 matches over No. 15 Rollins on Senior Day.
 
FSC has a great lineup with the first three all over 10 wins this season. Sam Frizelle, ranking No. 69 in ITA singles, has a 12-7 record, including a win over a nationally ranked singles player for Ferris State. Frizelle has played at the #1 court all season, winning SSC Athlete of the Week honors on April 14. Chris Fok Kow, playing most of his matches at the #2 court, has a 15-3 record and was named SSC Athlete of the Week two times in March. Two of his three losses were to top-25 singles players, while also showing range with matches at the #1 and #3 courts during 2025. Mario Garoz is ranked No. 53 in ITA singles, and has an impressive 19-2 record this season, tying a program record of singles match wins in a season. He has two wins over nationally ranked players, including No. 21 Yan Kodjoed of Barry.
 
The final spots of the FSC lineup have been filled by a roster with great depth, calling upon Bosko Boskovic, Matthew Hewitt, and George Russell, all with 7+ wins on the season. Edoardo Melindo, Gabriel Jornert, and Onur Turgut have also contributed in the final three spots of the lineup, each ready to fill in for an FSC team win. The doubles competition has been steady for the Mocs, led by Fok Kow and Garoz, ranked No. 41 as a pairing, with a 13-9 overall record. Currently on a six-match win streak, Frizelle and Hewitt have a 7-1 record at the #3 court, with doubles wins against four teams in the top 40, including No. 1 West Florida and No. 2 Valdosta State.

 
No. 48/Six-Seed Fighting Knights | Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Stats
Lynn University has a 9-7 overall record and a 2-5 conference record including a 4-3 loss to the Mocs on April 1. Currently ranked No. 48, the Fighting Knights have retained national rankings for most of the year, led by Aymen Alimoussa with a 9-7 record in singles. Alessio Demichelis has spent most of his 6-4 record at the #1 court. Only Daniel Azar and Davide Cortimiglia at the #5 and #6 courts beat FSC in singles last time out, both with 6+ wins.
 
In doubles, the pairing of Demichelis and Cortimiglia is ranked No. 18 in the nation, currently undefeated in 2025 with a 6-0 record at the #1 court. Alimoussa and Santino Morel are 6-4 at the #2 court, with Azar and Aaron Brandenburger 5-1 at the #3 court.
 
Series Matchup
Since 1996, both teams have faced each other 43 times, most recently on the road in Boca Raton, with FSC winning 4-3. Ranked No. 14 at the time, the Mocs rallied in singles to beat the No. 35 Fighting Knights, snapping a four-match losing streak against Lynn. Overall, the Mocs are 10-33 against the Fighting Knights, with the last postseason matchup on April 23, 2015, when FSC lost 5-0 in the SSC quarterfinals. Both teams have faced each other in the SSC postseason three additional times, Lynn winning two of those in 2008 and 1999. The last win against the Fighting Knights in the SSC tournament was April 20, 2001, when FSC won 5-3 in the opening round.
 
Tournament History
Florida Southern has a 21-33 overall record in the SSC tournament dating back to 1996, with 28 appearances, and the last win back in 2013. This marks the second year of a six-team bracket, as opposed to an eight-team field from previous tournaments. The Mocs have won the conference championship two times in their program history, the first in 2000 and then again in 2002. Barry University has won the last seven championships, dating back to 2017.
 
Other Matches in SSC
The other SSC quarterfinal matchup features No. 22/four-seed Embry-Riddle versus No. 23/five-seed Rollins, also on Friday, April 25 at 9 a.m. No. 1 seed Barry and No. 2 seed Saint Leo have a first-round bye with the winner of FSC's match taking on Saint Leo on Saturday, April 26, at 9 a.m.
 
NCAA Postseason
Winners of each championship will receive automatic qualification to the 2025 NCAA Division II Championships. Regional rounds for the NCAA Championships will be played at non-predetermined sites between May 9 and 13. Finals for men will take place May 20-24 and finals for women will be from May 21-25. Both championships will be held at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Spring, Florida. The championships are hosted by Rollins College and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. The NCAA will announce postseason selections on Monday, May 5.