Florida Southern Men's Tennis Ranked #14 in ITA Preseason Poll

LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College men's tennis team will open the 2026 season ranked No. 14 in the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II Poll.
 
"We're obviously excited to be ranked for the second consecutive year in the preseason top 15, as that shows our peers are taking note of where our program is," said head coach Rhett Rollyson on the No. 14 preseason ranking. "However, rankings don't mean a great deal now…except maybe getting a bullseye on your chest.  We will find out how good we are pretty quickly as we play No. 3 Flagler and No. 2 Valdosta State in our first 3 matches.  Our schedule is beyond challenging, as we play the top 4 preseason-ranked teams, five of the top 10, and nine of the top 25.  Really excited for our great fans to see us host top 6 teams, Valdosta State, West Florida, and Washburn.  Hopefully, the best home court advantage in D2 will allow the Mocs to pull off some upsets."
 
The Moccasins posted their best ITA finish in 15 years, ranking No. 17 at the end of the 2025 season, highlighted by Mario Garoz finishing No. 46 in Division II singles. In 2025, FSC went 17-9, marking its third straight 15-win season and most match wins since 2008.
 
Garoz, the Sunshine State Conference Men's Tennis Athlete of the Year, set the single-season wins record with a 22-3 mark. Head coach Rollyson was named SSC Coach of the Year, just the second FSC coach to earn the honor. Chris Fok Kow earned All-SSC First Team honors with a 17-3 singles record and, alongside Garoz, received Second Team Doubles recognition.
 
The Mocs had a productive fall schedule in 2025, competing in the ITA South Regional in Pensacola, the YTF Invite, and the ERAU Invite. With several new faces, FSC has a deep roster with strong potential in its lineups.
 
In 2026, Florida Southern has 22 regular-season matches scheduled, 15 of which will be at FSC's home court, the Wynee Warden Tennis Center. The SSC Championships will take place on April 30-May 2 in Boca Raton, hosted by Lynn University.
 
The Mocs will open the season on the road against No. 3 Flagler College on Feb. 7, followed by the home opener against Lynn University on Saturday, Feb. 14, with a noon start.