Tars Solid in Win Over #4 Choctaws

WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 11, 2024) - Men's tennis bounced back from their first loss of the year on Saturday with a convincing 4-2 defeat of the #4 ranked Mississippi College Choctaws on Monday. Rollins now stands at 10-1 on the year, while Mississippi moves to 7-3.

The Tars struck first on doubles three where Efe Comu/Nico de Giacomo made quick work of Jarvis/Saint Martin 6-2. Rollins then secured the first point of the day with a win on court two thanks to a 6-3 effort from Guillermo Castaneda/Charlie Putrino. Court one did not finish due to the point being clinched. 

In singles play, it was Richard Stoiberer leading the charge with the first win of the day, a 6-2, 6-2 display against Joe Jarvis. Castaneda then added to the Rollins lead on court five where he was victorious over Sergio Ramirez Ocana 6-1, 7-5. 

The Choctaws weren't willing to go down without a fight as they claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win on court one, and a three-setter on court six to make the score 3-2. 

Luke Quaynor played today's hero for Rollins with a gargantuan effort on number two. After falling behind 4-6 in the first set, the Brit came back for a 6-2 equalizer. The third set went 7-7 Quaynor's way, calling for a tiebreak. In the extra eight-pointer, Quaynor edged out Rafael Sabio for a final line of 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8). 

Court three, featuring de Giacomo and Saint Martin, was in the midst of their third set as well, but did not finish. 

"Really proud of the guys to be this far along into a stretch of tennis this long and have the ability to fend off a really tough team like Mississippi College," said head coach Jay Friedman. "We jumped out early on some courts, but they really fought back, and today, our guys did a great job defending the ship. Really proud of them as we look to finish this stretch up strong this week. 

The stretch he is referring to is an absolute gauntlet of a schedule that includes seven matches in two weeks, with four of them coming against ranked opponents. The final of the seven is on Wednesday, March 13 at home against #13 Midwestern State. First serve is scheduled for 2:00 pm.