Dear fans and supporters of FGCU Men’s Tennis:
It’s been a couple weeks since I last wrote, but we’ve had some fun and
exciting happenings with the tennis team here at FGCU. Since I last wrote, we
lost a close 6-1 match to #54 Old Dominion. I know it may seem that a 6-1 match
can’t be close, but we were on the short end of two 8-6 doubles matches at
#1&2; we lost 2 three set matches at #5&6 singles, and we lost another
close two set match at #2. These are matches that I’m confident we can turn
around even before the end of the season!
Last weekend, we avenged yet ANOTHER loss that we had from the previous
year! We beat FAU 5-2, after they beat us the previous year 5-2. It didn’t come
easy for us, however. After the losing the doubles point and starting down 1-0
heading into doubles, we knew we had a big task ahead of us. And it also didn’t
help when we lost 3 of the 6 first sets in singles either! But the boys really
showed A LOT of resilience when we came storming back, and ended up winning 5
of the 6 singles match to win the overall match 5-2! Big ups (literally) to Bao
at #2 for breaking his opponent at 5-4, who was serving for the match in the
second set! Bao lost to that player in the fall in straight sets, so that was a
huge physical and mental barrier that he overcame. The match was probably
highlighted in Dean’s match at #3 however, when his opponent hit a second serve
over the fence ON PURPOSE to lose the match on a double fault! This may seem
odd to the average fan, but if you’ve watched Dean compete before, it has
become a regular thing where he completely breaks down each of his opponents
mentally in all of his matches. To me, this obnoxious double fault showed how
we BROKE them as a team, and I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts of
everybody on the team to contribute to this result.
The next day, we traveled to Miami, and as many of you know, I worked at
Miami for 5 years as the assistant coach, so this was a very special day for me
to say the least. We lost the match 6-1; but again, it was honestly a match
that could have gone either way. I sound like a broken record when talking like
this, but we lost two close 2 setters at #2&3, and lost two more 3 setters
at #5&6! In order to break into the top 75 this year, we’re going to have
to figure out how to win these matches, but at the same time, I’m still proud
of the guys’ efforts; and we continue to represent ourselves very well in terms
of our fight and competitiveness. Jordi Vives was our lone victory against the
Canes, as he defeated fellow countrymen Diego Soto at #1 singles in three sets!
This was a big win for Jordi, as Diego is a very good player from Spain, and
never an easy player to beat!
Well, the Miami match concluded our non-conference portion of our
season, and now we move into the ever so important ASun conference season! Come
out and support your Eagles this week, as we compete against Lipscomb, a team
that beat us 4-3 last season, this Thursday at 6 pm; as well as Northern
Kentucky, conference newcomer, this Saturday at 6 pm. Two HUGE matches for the
Eagles, as we hope to start the conference season with a BANG, and send a
message to everybody in the ASun that we are here for real, and we are a force
to be reckoned with!!!
EAGLE UP!!!
C. J. Weber
Head Men’s Tennis Coach
Florida Gulf Coast University
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