WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 29, 2026) – On a weekend celebrating college tennis across the country, Sunday's match between the Tars and Nighthawks of North Georgia was the quintessential example of what makes the sport so special. Two teams, side-by-side in the
latest ITA poll, a top ten singles match-up, and an absolutely captivating doubles match that set the tone for the entire day.
Rollins nabbed the first duo victory on court two of duo action thanks to skillful play by
Mo Anterist and
Fabian Gusic. The German pair improved their record to 8-2 on the season, once again displaying chemistry that would rival fellow countrymen Rudi Völler and Jürgen Klinsmann.
The first match going in the Tars favor increased in magnitude when a tight bout on court three went the way of the Nighthawks. Needing just one more point to knot the match at five, the opportunity at a match extender just barely eluded
Lawson Prather and
Nico de Giacomo. Court number one, on the other hand, had all the fireworks that fans could bargain for… and then some.
Following North Georgia's win on three, all eyes turned to the headline match which would decide the fate of who would hold the early lead. At the time, Rollins possessed a 5-4 advantage, but the Nighthawks erased the narrow deficit, extending play by at least two games. Tied at five, momentum looked to be trending towards the visitors before
Pete Tran ripped off consecutive perfect serves. With one ace and one service winner, Tran set the table for the Tars to take a 6-5 lead.
North Georgia wasn't done, though. Traveling all this way from north of Atlanta, the Nighthawks made sure to get their moneys worth. The visiting lead duo made fans sweat even more, tieing the set at six and sending the pivotal match into a tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, North Georgia once again positioned themselves in front, grabbing the first two points. But Tran was not done serving up dazzling gems to wow the crowd. Like a maestro, the Orlando native sparked a rally, causing a 4-2 advantage at the changeover.
From there, it was
Richard Stoiberer's turn to put on a show. Retreating to his back line, the senior lobbed in a shot that just snuck within legal court limits, amazing the crowd and inching the number one pair one step closer to a victory.
After the Nighthawks had pulled within one, Tran reached back into his bag and pulled out an unreturnable serve yet again.
Match Point. Doubles Point. Rollins 1. North Georgia 0.
The energy swiftly buzzed throughout the Tennis & Golf Center, uplifting the men into singles play, too. Tran was the first to take advantage, building on his dramatic doubles heroics with a singles sweep from court six. After his playing partner fell short on four, the sophomore's win quickly returned Rollins to front of the pack. An elated crowd once again erupted behind the 6-4, 6-1 win.
Fabian Gusic matched with his emotion after an emphatic straight set winner on two. Duplicating a 6-3 score both sets, the senior finished the month of March with an
elite 7-1 record: a fitting title for this weekend's events around the sporting landscape. Putting an exclamation point on today's victory was the fact that it put Rollins on the doorstep of win number thirteen, a story that his doubles colleague was busy completing from court five.
North Georgia's Pedro Liborio got the better of
Lawson Prather on court one in the top ten singles showdown. Despite dropping the match, Prather fought, ending right before Anterist's clinch two courts down the line.
Being on the wrong side of a few deuce points can set most players back.
Mo Anterist does not fall into that category. Anterist's resilience was nothing short of extraordinary, bouncing back after nearly taking a 5-1 lead in his second set, but losing game point. Then, in the game to follow, the sophomore followed the same script. Winning the first set 7-5, Anterist was no stranger to battling today. That theme continued when the match got tight.
Stringing a few games together, Anterist prevailed 6-4 to call match. Beside him,
Nico de Giacomo was left with his match going unfinished. The captain was down a set at the time but clawing with each point.
"Go to get back on the right side of things on top of a feisty North Georgia team," coach
Jay Friedman explained to a journalist covering the team.
"But of course at this point, we are all thinking about going to Daytona and what that matchup brings for us."
Sunday's 4-2 win solidifies a 13-2 record as the calendar flips to April. As coach Friedman alludes to, a conference tussle looms later this week with the Eagles of Embry-Riddle.
The Tars will hit the road for a 3:30 start on Thursday with the nation's sixth-ranked hosts. Be sure to check back in on the action at
Rollinssports.com.
