VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams open the 2019 spring schedule on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Both the men's and women's teams will have live stats of the matches as fans can access links to those at vstateblazers.com on the men's and women's tennis schedule pages. Check back with vstateblazers.com for complete recaps and stats of the matches Saturday evening.
The Blazer men's tennis team enters the spring ranked eighth nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. VSU junior
Jordi Mas is ranked No. 3 nationally and is 6-2 on the year during the fall season with a berth in the ITA Regional Championship, while losing in the final of the Gulf South Conference Fall Championship. Junior teammate and No. 19 nationally
Xavier Pineda won his flight of the GSC Fall Championship and is 6-1 in singles play on the year.
Along with Pineda and Mas, VSU has juniors
Axel Holm, along with
Yohan Nguyen and freshmen
Robert Cizek and FlorianSimbozel completing head coach
John Hansen's squad.
In doubles at the GSC Fall Tennis Open, Pineda/Mas won 8-6 in the first round of doubles as did Holm/Cizek. The duo of Holm/Cizek reached the semifinal, but lost 8-6 to a team from West Alabama. Mas/Pineda cruised to the win in the final, 8-2.
The ERAU men's squad was picked fourth in the preseason Sunshine State Conference poll and the Eagles are No. 16 nationally. The Eagles return seven players for the season, including second team all-league selections Juan Ortiz Couder and Andres Donayre. ERAU had the 2018 ITA South Region doubles title in Donayre and Ortiz Couder.
On the women's side, VSU returns first team all-conference member junior Estee Widdershoven for this season. Along with her, senior Daniella Barta, sophomore Hera Bork Brynjarsdottir, sophomore Amelia Cornwall, freshman Rachel Chan-Yaneff, freshman Birte Langestein and freshman Eva Rivoal complete the team.
Cornwell and Chan-Yaneff each earned wins in their initial singles matches as the GSC Fall Championship, but both lost their second matches in the tournament. In doubles, Widdershoven and Barta reached the championship, falling to Georgina Morrall Salom and Andrea Tomassone of West Alabama. Chan-Yaneff and Cornwall lost to a duo from West Georgia, 8-4 in the opening round.
Embry-Riddle was picked seventh on the women's side in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll. ERAU returns four players from 2018, including sophomore Sabrina Ehrenfort and junior Georgina Wood, who led the team with 14 and 11 wins, respectively.
Both VSU tennis teams play at Georgia College on Wednesday at 1 p.m., while the women's team hosts Nova Southeastern Saturday at 10 a.m. at the VSU Tennis Courts for the 2019 home-opener. The VSU men's team opens the home slate Mar. 5 at 2 p.m. versus Tennessee-Martin.
