BOCA RATON, Fla. (May 1, 2026) – Seeking an appearance in the SSC championship match, the Tars set out at 9am Friday morning on a mission. Battling the Saint Leo Lions, a stout opponent who have had Rollins number in recent years, the men rewrote history, and in the process, put themselves in position to fulfill this week's ultimate quest: A conference tournament title.
 
The Tars willed their way to the doubles point behind two gritty wins from the top and middle. First, it was the duo of Richard Stoiberer and Pete Tran, starting the conversation for an initial lead with a 7-5 result. The narrow win becomes even more impressive given that the opposing pair of Lions across the way rank second in the country as a doubles tandem. Today, it was the twelfth ranked combination, those donning the anchor R that had the upper hand.
 
Elsewhere, Fabian Gusic and Mo Anterist answered the call by the same 7-5 score. Their win from court two propelled Rollins into the early lead. Not only that, both performances avenge losses in duo action from the first time these two teams met back on March 27^th.
 
St. Leo marched right back, ultimately taking the lead with the first two matches to finish in singles. First, the Lions nabbed court two in straight sets before taking the lead from line four in the same fashion.
 
Yet, coach Friedman's bunch never wavered. The pendulum swung right back behind outstanding showings on courts three and five. Mo Anterist sent the match into a stalemate with his 6-3, 6-2 response. The reigning SSC Player of the Week flexed his muscle yet again, providing exhibit A as to why he deserved his recent accolades.
 
From there, Nico de Giacomo sprung the Tars back in front. The captain's straight setter from line three only raised the stakes. Now one match away, all eyes turned to the top and bottom courts, a place where St. Leo owned leads thanks to tiebreaking triumphs in the first set. Still, Lawson Prather was fighting at the top and Pete Tran showed no signs of tire from court six himself. Toughness has been Rollins' MO all season, and in the most pivotal moment of the season up to this point, it was not going to change.  
 
Prather, who's match from the headliner was tight all day, was ultimately edged in the second set as well. His defeat tied the score once more, shifting all the focus to Tran and his narrow bout from court six.
 
The Orlando area native was in the throes of a tight second set as his battle evolved into the deciding point. With the spotlight and Boca Raton sun shining down, Tran grew stronger as the match progressed. With his back against the wall and in a one game hole, the sophomore rallied for three straight games to even the match at one set apiece. Then, as if a tidal wave of momentum washed over the Tars number six workhorse, Tran cruised to a 6-1 victory in the set for all the marbles.
 
Tran's heroics are nothing new for a Rollins ballclub that has shown incredible balance and team chemistry all year. Further evidence was on display today when, after Tran put a stamp on a championship appearance, his fellow Tars poured onto the court, bouncing up and down and celebrating the sophomore's efforts. 
 
An exuberant head coach Jay Friedman had this to say about the absolute thriller: "Wow! It's hard not to have some big emotions on that one. The guys were so focused from the start today."
 
Friedman continued, giving Tran high praise, "For Pete, I mean this guy earns every ball and it couldn't mean more than to see him stand up and put the team on his back! Out there alone with the match tied from 4-4 in the second set and all eyes on him - the guy is everything you want."
 
Rollins now awaits the winner of Friday's second semifinal matchup between #4 seeded Lynn and the top seed, Barry.
 
Stay tuned for the latest updates and live stats link, which will be displayed on Rollinsports.com. The championship will get underway tomorrow at approximately 1pm.