Men's Tennis 3/25/2017 7:09:00 PM

UNA TENNIS TEAMS EDGE FLORIDA TECH

PENSACOLA, Fla., – A day after coming up short against a pair of nationally-ranked Valdosta State teams, the University of North Alabama men's and women's tennis squads each recorded a 5-4 regional win over Florida Tech. The victory gives the UNA women a 7-4 record while the men's team improves to 8-3 on the year.

The two teams traded leads throughout the women's match. After Florida Tech took an early lead with a win at No. 2 doubles, UNA responded with two straight victories. Nina Linke and Claire DeGeorge finished strong to close out an 8-4 win at No. 3, followed by Claudia Arroyo and Donna Haycock recording an impressive 8-3 win at the top doubles spot.

Florida Tech wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead before UNA answered again. Linke, coming off her first singles loss of the season against VSU, quickly evened the match at 3-3 with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph at the No. 3 spot.

DeGeorge gave the Lions a 4-3 lead, winning 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6 singles before Florida Tech tied the score once again with a win at No. 5. With the match tied at 4-4, Haycock found herself in a third set on Court 4. The junior from George, South Africa raced out to an early lead before holding off a comeback attempt in a 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 win.

"I can't emphasize how proud I am of the women," said UNA head tennis coach Brice Bishop. "That was a great way to bounce back from yesterday. What an outing today by Donna. That was a very impressive effort."

The men's match featured a similar script. The Lions again took a 2-1 lead after doubles play, only to see Florida Tech have early success in singles action to grab a lead of its own. Facing a 3-2 deficit, UNA won three of the final four singles matches to get the win.

Miguel Garcia and Taylor Ausbon were solid from start to finish in an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles. Max Druppel and Benjamin Poire increased the lead with an 8-5 victory at the top doubles spot. Florida Tech got on the scoreboard with a tight 9-8 win at No. 2 doubles.

"I'm real pleased with how we played doubles," said Bishop. "Even at No. 2, we had a chance to win."

After the Panthers took a 3-2 lead with wins at No. 1 and No. 5 singles, Poire tied it up again with a solid 6-2, 6-3 victory at the No. 3 spot.

A win at No. 4 singles gave Florida Tech a 4-3 lead to set the stage for another Lion comeback. Ausbon tied the score by winning 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 while Druppel saved five set points in the first set of a 7-6 win at the No. 2 spot. After falling 6-0 in the second set, Druppel raced out to an early lead before clinching the match with a 6-2 victory.

"This was a great team effort today," Bishop added. "I'm really impressed with how these guys handled the pressure. Once Taylor tied it up, I felt very confident knowing Max was on the court."

After taking a day off on Sunday, both UNA tennis teams will remain in Pensacola to face West Florida at 1 p.m. on Monday. Both UWF teams are ranked in the Top 10, with the women at No. 6 and the men at the top spot.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Ausbon: Junior

Max Druppel: Senior

Miguel Garcia: Junior

Benjamin Poire: Graduate Student

Claudia Arroyo: Sophomore

Claire DeGeorge: Sophomore

Donna Haycock: Junior

Nina Linke: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Taylor Ausbon
: Junior

Max Druppel
: Senior

Miguel Garcia
: Junior

Benjamin Poire
: Graduate Student

Claudia Arroyo
: Sophomore

Claire DeGeorge
: Sophomore

Donna Haycock
: Junior

Nina Linke
: Freshman