Panthers Win Third Straight Defeating Luther 6-3

MELBOURNE, FL – The #9 NCAA DII south regional ranked Florida Tech Panthers (6-13) started off ahead taking two of the three doubles matches in men’s
tennis today at the Fee Avenue Courts. Panthers easily silenced the DIII #15th central ranked Luther College Norse (8-10)  Tandem #15 nationally
ranked (5th in the region) juniors’ Cliff Giel (Savaneta, Aruba) and Keith Kessler (Brooklyn, New York) overcame sophomores Jono Martin (Mounds View,
Minnesota) and his partner Isaac White (Decorah, Iowa), 8-2, at No. 1.

Junior pair David Fowler (Barbados) and senior Diego Quiros (Quesada, Costa Rica) bested Luther junior Christian Klein (Decorah, Iowa) and sophomore Reid
Mason (Edina, Minnesota) 9-7 at No. 2. The Norse took the third doubles play 8-3 from the Panthers. Junior Christian Smith (Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago)
and freshman Jeremy Casperson (Jacksonville, Florida) fell to sophomores Brad Nelson (Northfield, Minnesota) and Jared Wiklund (Duluth, Minnesota) in the
three spot.

Again Tech’s top two Kessler (#13 regionally ranked) and Giel shut down their opponents in the #1 and #2 singles competition. Kessler defeated #21
Klein  6-2, 6-4 in a tough battle, while Giel started off rough he then shut down Martin in the second set, 7-5, 6-0.

The Panthers also saw fierce action from the #3 and #4 matches. Freshman Nick Bonilla (Atlanta, Georgia) proved victorious in one of the easiest matches
defeating Wiklund 6-2, 6-2, at No. 3. Quiros, also, took a quick match from Nelson, 6-1, 6-2.

The Norse overtook Tech at the #5 and #6 singles action. Smith fell to junior Bjorn Hanson (Middleton, Wisconsin) 6-2, 6-2 not making an easy defeat.
Newcomer freshman Christian Kieber (Schruns, Austria) started off his match tough taking 3 games in the first set 6-3 and then coming back to do the same
in the second set falling 6-3 again.

This is Tech’s third straight win this week and they will look to improve to four wins for the week when they, along with the women’s program, travel to
Miami tomorrow to face the NAIA St. Thomas University Bobcats in an afternoon doubleheader battle.

This is the fourth time Tech has come down to one point and lost in a tight battle. The Panthers will host University of Indianapolis tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
at the Fee Avenue Courts.