Tennis Season Update
The GC tennis teams are nearing their start to the 2024 season in February, as both the men’s and women’s teams have been competing in various fall tournaments.
The Bobcats’ most recent fall tournament was held from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8 at the Mercer Gridiron Classic.
The tournament consisted of 96 total players on the main draw for both men’s and women’s singles matches as well as 48 players listed in the men’s and women’s doubles matches. Players eligible for the tournament all came from Division II, Division III, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and junior colleges.
The men’s team had a strong showing in both the B flight and the C flight of the tournament.
In the B flight, Noe Villen started off strong by defeating Flagler College’s Asher Willenborg 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2) in his opening match. Noe went on to defeat Adria Pratdepadua from Middle Georgia State University, as he unfortunately suffered an injury during the match. He would then go on to suffer a loss to Luciano Alcocer in a 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 match.
The Bobcats continued to win in the C flight, with players Jorge Robinson, Aurelien Arlot and Braxton Wright all picking up wins in the flight.
Robinson went on to win three of his matches, suffering only one loss. Arlot added on two wins of his own and suffered two losses in his matches.
Wright, a sophomore, picked up a win in one of his matches against Middle Georgia State University. He reflected on his preparation for the season.
“Playing in the preseason tournaments helps me refine techniques and focus on the little aspects of the matches that are played,” Wright said. “They also help boost my confidence going into the season.”
The women’s team also made their presence felt at the Mercer Gridiron Classic, with strong performances from Jada Young, Chiara Santoro, Ashley Bentz, Laura Almagro, Ashton Morrison and Lucy Kim.
Young, a junior, was a part of the A1 flight, where she picked up two wins in her four matches. She defeated Georgia State University’s Alba Retortillo 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in her first match of the flight. She then went on to defeat Olivia Bryant by default due to injury.
Fellow junior Santoro added on two more wins as well in her effort in the tournament.
Santoro won her first match against Savannah Williams out of the University of Tampa. She continued strong with another win against Ane Ibarra from Auburn Montgomery.
The rest of the women’s team tallied on eight more wins in the B, C and D flights. The contributing players to those matches were Bentz, Almagro, Morrison and Kim.
Both teams are very eager for the season to start in February, as they have high expectations for what is to come.
After an 8-10 record last season, the Bobcats are looking to improve upon that throughout their off-season efforts.
“Off-season really helps us shape who we are,” said Sebastian Nuñez, a redshirt senior. “We have a good connection as a team, and it shows during off-season workouts and early-morning ropes.”
That kind of mentality is infectious, as it can help the whole team buy into what they are trying to accomplish throughout the season.
