VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams will play multiple matches this week as the Blazer men's team enters the week with an 8-0 record overall and a 3-0 mark in Gulf South Conference play. The women's team is 3-5 overall and 2-1 in league play.
The Blazer men's team enters the week sixth nationally in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Top 25 as VSU and Auburn Montgomery each are 3-0 in GSC play, while West Florida is 5-1. Shorter is 1-7 in league play, while Lee is 4-1 in the GSC and 9-2 overall. Mississippi College sits 3-1 in conference play and 9-5 overall, while Christian Brothers is 1-6 in league play and 4-8 overall.
VSU will play at Shorter on Tuesday, Mar. 28 at 2 p.m., followed by a trip to Lee University on Wed., Mar. 29 at 1 p.m. VSU and Christian Brothers will play their match, which was originally scheduled for earlier in the season, on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET in Montgomery, Ala., before the team heads to Pensacola, Fla., for Mississippi College on Sunday, Apr. 2. The women's team also will play West Georgia on Apr. 2 in the Red Clay Rivalry Series. UWG doesn't sponsor men's tennis.
The Blazer men's team is coming off a thrilling 4-0 victory over then-No. 1 Saint Leo last Friday at the VSU Tennis Complex. Blazer junior
Pedro Cordeiro won at No. 6 singles over Henrique Bertoli, 6-2, 7-5, to clinch the match after he, teamed with junior
Christian Wedel, won 6-2 at No. 3 doubles to get the match started. No. 42-ranked junior duo of
Luca Mack and
Rodrigo Carvalho downed No. 44 Tao Castillo Bernal and Ivan Marrero, 7-5, to clinch the doubles point for the Blazers. Wedel won 6-1, 6-4 at No. 4 singles for a 2-0 lead, followed by sophomore
Lamar Bartley downing Nicolas Bacella, 6-2, 6-4, for a 3-0 lead before Cordeiro's heroics.
It marked the second time this season VSU has defeated a top-ranked team as the Blazers downed previous No. 1 Barry University, 4-3 on Mar. 5 in Valdosta. It also was the first time VSU had defeated two teams ranked No. 1 in the same season.
The newest ITA rankings are scheduled to be released on Wednesday as Mack entered last week with a 15-1 record this year and a 6-0 mark this spring at the top spot in singles for second nationally. He is the only Blazer ranked in the top 75 for singles. In doubles, Mack and Carvalho are 42
nd nationally as stated above. The duo is 7-1 this spring and 3-0 in GSC play at the top spot in the lineup. Carvalho is 7-0 in singles and 3-0 in league play this spring, while Wedel is 7-1 and 3-0 in league play. Wedel/Cordeiro are 6-1 in doubles at the No. 3 spot this spring, while senior
Christian Felline and sophomore
Lamar Bartley are 4-2 this spring and 2-1 in league play.
Shorter improved to 2-7 on the year and 1-7 in league play with a 4-3 win over Delta State on Saturday. VSU has won 11-straight in the series against the Hawks on the men's side and won 6-1 in Rome, Ga., on Mar. 12, 2021.
Lee enters at 11-2 overall and 4-1 in league play after a pair of wins over Mississippi College (4-3) and Christian Brothers (7-0) last weekend. The Flames were 14
th nationally in the last ITA Top 25, and have a win over then-No. 4 Flagler, 4-3, on Mar. 7. Lee's Nicolas Ramirez is 22
nd nationally in singles. He is 7-3 this spring and 4-0 in GSC play in singles at the top spot. Doubles tandem of Mike Groenendijk and brother Quinn are 37
th nationally with a 6-1 record this spring and a 2-0 mark in league play. Q. Groenendijk is 9-1 in singles to lead the team. Ramirez and Francisco Faria are 7-2 in doubles at the top spot.
VSU is 12-0 all-time against Lee and 3-0 in Cleveland, Tenn. VSU won 5-2 there on Mar. 7, 2020, and also 5-2 on Mar. 17, 2019.
The Blazers then head to Montgomery, Ala., for a matchup with Christian Brothers on Saturday, Apr. 1. VSU is 11-0 – all in neutral site matches against CBU dating back to Apr. 16, 2011. VSU won 7-0 last season in Pensacola, Fla., on Apr. 1, 2022.
Mississippi College enters with a 9-5 record overall and a 3-1 mark in league play as the Choctaws battle Delta State Monday and Auburn Montgomery on Thursday, before playing at West Florida on Saturday and VSU on Sunday. The Choctaws are 19
th in the ITA rankings last week and are led this spring in singles by Joe Jarvis (8-2) and Antoine Nivault (8-3), while Rafael Sabio is 8-5. In doubles, Sabio and Felipe Iser are 8-4, while Nivault and Jarvis are 7-3 this spring. VSU leads the all-time series 9-0 and has not dropped a point in a match since a 5-1 victory on Apr. 1, 2017.
On the women's side, the Blazers will play five matches this week beginning with Shorter (0-9, 0-8 GSC) on Tuesday at 1 p.m. VSU leads the all-time series 9-2, including winning seven-straight dating back to a 5-2 loss on Apr. 18, 2015, in Montgomery, Ala. Junior
Kayla Greco is 3-3 this spring in singles and 2-1 in GSC play, while freshman
Olivia Pezo is 3-3 and 2-1 in league play. Sophomore
Anastasiia Vorobiova is 3-3 and 2-1 in league play as well. Greco/Pezo are 3-3 in doubles at the No. 2 spot and 2-1 in league play.
Lee enters the week with an 8-3 record overall and a 3-2 mark in GSC play for 38
th nationally. The Lady Flames are led in doubles by Micaela Maiz and Maria Durante who are 9-0 overall and 3-0 in league play at the No. 2 spot. In singles, Ashleigh Simes are 7-3 at the top spot in the lineup and 3-1 in league play. VSU leads the all-time series 11-0 dating back to a 6-0 victory on Mar. 29, 2014. The Blazers are 3-0 against Lee in Cleveland, Tenn., with the last meeting there on Mar. 13, 2021.
Christian Brothers is 8-6 overall and 2-6 in GSC play as it has lost six-straight matches. CBU will face Mississippi University for Women and Delta State before battling VSU on Saturday. VSU leads the all-time series with CBU 8-0 and won 4-3 last season on Apr. 1, 2022, in Pensacola, Fla. VSU also won 4-3 on Apr. 16, 2021, in Montgomery, Ala. The six matches prior, VSU blanked the Bucs in all but one match (7-2).
Mississippi College enters the week 16
th nationally and 12-1 overall, while going 4-1 in GSC play. The Choctaws also will play five matches this week, culminating in the one versus VSU on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Fernanda Cota leads the team with 10-2 record in singles and a 4-0 mark in league play, while Gabrielle Geolier is 9-1 this spring with a 1-1 mark in conference play. In doubles, Cota and Ely Alas are 91- at the top spot and 2-0 in league play. VSU has won four of the last seven matches against MC, including a 4-3 victory in Pensacola, Fla., on Apr. 2, 2022. Prior to that, MC had won three-straight.
West Georgia enters the week with a 10-4 record overall and a 4-2 mark in the GSC. The Wolves downed Division I Towson University (Md.) 5-2 on Mar. 22, and will play West Florida and Mississippi College before VSU on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Iuliia Dmitrieva is 10-4 in singles at the top spot in the lineup, while Sophie Mnich is 8-4 at the No. 2 spot. She is 3-2 in league play to lead the team. In doubles, Lula Mouton and Karla Menendez are 9-3 this season, while Mnich and Dmitrieva are 9-5 at the top spot. VSU has won the last 13 matches in the series dating back to Apr. 2, 2011. VSU won 4-0 in Pensacola, Fla., on Apr. 2, 2022.
This match with UWG also is part of the Red Clay Rivalry Series. UWG has a 5.5 to 3.5 lead in the second annual edition of the rivalry series. VSU needs a win in this match and finish better at the GSC Men's Golf Championship on Apr. 16-18, to tie this season. One win by UWG would put it out of reach for the Blazers in 2022-23. VSU won the inaugural rivalry series in 2021-22, 7-4.
Click here for the scoring breakdown on the rivalry series.
Following the matches this week, the Blazer men's and women's tennis teams continue on the road at Auburn Montgomery on Apr. 5, before returning home to host rival West Florid on Apr. 8 at 10 a.m., and then close the regular season versus Palm Beach Atlantic also at the VSU Tennis Complex on Apr. 14 at 2:30 p.m.
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