The UNF tennis teams faced a bittersweet end to the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships that took place April 18-20. Both the men’s and women’s team advanced to finals on Sunday, which ended in a 4-3 loss for the men’s team, but a 4-1 win for the women’s.
The men’s tennis team found a 4-1 win against USC Upstate in the semifinals that began on Saturday afternoon, but was suspended until Sunday morning because of inclement weather. The team advanced to the championship match against top-seeded FGCU later that afternoon.
North Florida went 1-0 on Sunday in doubles matches before the weather pushed back the remainder of the tournament until Monday morning. The singles matches on Monday were hard fought, going point-for-point until FGCU eventually won out, 4-3.
“We asked our guys to have heart,” UNF men’s tennis Head Coach Mark Finnegan said. “We asked our guys to compete with everything they have. They did that, we just came up a little short.”
North Florida’s Lasse Muscheites brought the singles match score to 3-1 when he won his set against FGCU’s Tianyu Bao. Two more singles wins for FGCU tied the match at 3-3. FGCU’s Ricky Ventura grabbed the last point of the match for the Eagles after a thrilling second set.
Although the loss marked the end of the season for the men’s team, Finnegan expressed his pride in the team and hope for next season.
“Our future is bright here at UNF,” Finnegan said. “We were on fire midway through the season and then battled some adversity. We kept fighting. We lose just one player next year and we are bringing in some great recruits. It’s nothing but going up for UNF tennis.”
The outcome for the women’s tennis team was more favorable. After a 4-0 shutout against Lipscomb in the semifinals that took place on Saturday, the lady Ospreys faced FGCU in the championship final on Sunday. North Florida came away with a 4-1 victory against Florida Gulf Coast and gained an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
“Today was an amazing accomplishment for this group of women,” UNF women’s tennis Head Coach Audra Cohen said. “They continue to impress me with their growth and determination to succeed. I’m extremely proud of four seniors, who have exceeded my expectations both athletically and academically. It’s truly my honor to be their coach.”
UNF grabbed the first points of the match Sunday morning with a pair of doubles wins. Esther Zuniga and Luise Intert soon put the Ospreys up 4-0 with their singles victories.
Florida Gulf Coast’s Johanna Sterkel secured a point for her team with a win over Michelle Valdez. UNF’s Quetzali Vazquez answered back with a notable second-set rally. Vazquez snagged six-straight points to win the set at 6-4, while also giving the Ospreys the final point of the match and securing the Atlantic Sun Champions title.
“Quetzali has been an incredible leader throughout this tournament and during the entire season,” Cohen said. “She has grown immensely and has gone from a weak mindset to the backbone of strength for our program.”
The women’s team will find out who they’ll face first in the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday, April 28 during the NCAA Selection Show that will air live on NCAA.com at 5 p.m. The men’s team is also in limbo until that time.
Gallery photos by Kristen Smith and Camille Shaw
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