Tech Takes Down Sailfish in Tennis Double Header

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.-The Men’s (1-1) and Women’s (1-0) Florida Tech tennis team’s each pull off their first ever double header sweep in two seasons with
both teams shutting down the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 7-1 on each side in West Palm Beach this afternoon. This was the best women’s season opener in
the program’s short three year history. This is Panther’s new head coach Bill Macom’s first two victories in an excellent start of the “Macom Era” in the
young program.

The women’s team was lead by senior Belen Pandre (Buenos Aires, Argentina) in the #1 singles match defeating her opponent Kristen Halverson (6-0, 6-1).
Pandre was a 2005 SSC All second team member and the lone women Panthers that has been ranked in the region in the past. Newcomer sophomore Michaela
Horvathova (Bratislava, Slovakia) shut down Alli Hillman 6-0, 6-0 in the #2 singles match. Freshman Nicole David (Fort Pierce, FL) pulled off her first
regular season collegiate victory 6-3, 6-4 in the #3 spot while #4 player sophomore Viktorija Bredelyte (Klaipeda, Lithuania) was unable to finish her
match despite being ahead due to rain. In the #5 and #6 spots senior Kim Tucker (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) fell 6-1, 6-2 and sophomore Mandy Rohrbach
(Jefferson City, MO) won by default.

In doubles action, only the #1 and #2 tandems played with Pandre and Horvathova coming out victorious 8-2 defeating the Sailfish pair of Halverson and
Conner. Bredelyte and Tucker each grabbed their first win in the #2 doubles spot downing Hillman and Mahrt 8-6 in a close match.

On the men’s side top players juniors Keith Kessler (Brooklyn, NY) and  #27 Cliff Giel (Savaneta, Aruba) once again proved their SSC All Conference
status by showing up their Sailfish opponents taking  their matches 6-3, 6-2 and 6-3, 6-3 respectively. Senior Diego Quiros (Quesada, Costa Rica) has
really stepped up his game from last season winning both of his singles matches this year defeating Caleb Petersen 6-4, 6-2 in #3 singles action.
Newcomers’ freshman Nick Bonilla (Atlanta, GA) and junior David Fowler (Barbados) also notched their first regular season win at Tech beating their
Sailfish opponent’s 6-4, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-1 respectively. Junior Christian Smith (Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago) was another victim of the weather and despite
being up 6-2, 1-0 was unable to finish his match.

Two Panther pairs took their matches including #17th ranked tandem Kessler and Giel won 8-3 while #3 Tech pair Bonilla and Smith had the best score of the
match downing the Sailfish pair of John Tilton and Daniel Fairchild 8-1.