ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The men and women tennis teams are set to conclude their regular season play with a pair of Sunshine State Conference contests.
MEN'S MATCH 20: No. 30 Rollins (6-12, 0-3 SSC) at Eckerd (12-7, 0-4 SSC) | Tuesday – 3:00 PM
MEN'S MATCH 21: Eckerd at No. 43 Florida Southern (13-7, 2-2 SSC) | Saturday – 10:00 AM
WOMEN'S MATCH 18: Tampa (6-8, 0-6 SSC) at Eckerd (2-15, 0-6 SSC) | Thursday – 3:00 PM
WOMEN'S MATCH 19: Eckerd at No. 40 Florida Southern (9-7, 2-3 SSC) | Saturday – 10:00 AM
LAST WEEK: Last week was full of nationally-ranked opponents as the Tritons were unable to come away with a victory in men's or women's action. The men fell to No. 6 Embry-Riddle and No. 7 Barry while the women were defeated by the No. 34 Tars, No. 6 Buccaneers, and No. 31 Eagles.
ROLLINS: A quick look at the Tars' record might make them appear overrated in the ITA national poll, but all 8 losses have been at the hands of teams ranked in the top 50. Two of the other four were against a pair of Division I opponents, Army and Southern Alabama, while the remainder were early matches against Flagler and Embry-Riddle. The Saints and Eagles have since climbed to top 15 rankings in the latest poll. Also, the Tars have battled to 5-4 decisions in five of their losses, further proving their place in the top 30. Anton Bettink leads Rollins as the No. 10 singles player in the country as well as one half of the No. 11 doubles team with Adrian Di Felice.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN: In similar fashion as Rollins, the bulk of FSC's losses have been at the hands of nationally-ranked teams. The Mocs' most recent result heading into the week was a 5-4 victory over the Tars last Wednesday. On the women's side, all of FSC's losses have been in thanks to nationally-ranked opponents. However, the Mocs also boast five victories in that field.
TAMPA: Unless the Spartans defeat the No. 34 Tars on Tuesday, both teams will be seeking their first SSC victory of the season. Though Tampa is not ranked itself, it does hold a pair of victories over ranked opponents as the Spartans own a pair of 5-4 victories over then No. 34 Chestnut Hill and No. 43 Texas A&M – Kingsville.
