Net News, Volume 5
2/13/2025 11:02:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Happy Valentine's Week from Men's Tennis,
As we race to the store to get our Hallmark cards and boxes of sweets for our sweethearts, our team is preparing for our first outdoor match of the season. We face Presbyterian College at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 14, at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. This will be the first time we have faced the Blue Hose in over 40 years (1978). Quick fun fact…Presbyterian is one of only 28 Division I schools whose mascot name doesn't end with a 's'.
The team had a tremendous performance last Saturday against No. 15 Florida State. Doubles has been a primary focus this year and our match against the Seminoles began with good serves, aggressive moves at net and plenty of finishing points. Filip (Planinsek) and Matic (Kriznik) quickly defeated No. 4 Youcef Rihane and Alex Bulte, 6-2, at the No. 1 position. Andrii (Zimnokh) and Damien (Nezar) lost a close match at No. 2, which shifted full attention to No. 3 where Matias (Ponce De Leon) and Roan (Jones) were in a tight game of tug-of-war. The match pushed its way into a deciding tiebreaker and the "Spanglish" combo came through in the clutch, prevailing with a 7-3 score. Bama 1, FSU 0.
Singles began and the Seminoles jumped out to first-set leads at one, two and three while the Tide did the same on courts four, five and six. The intensity and quality of the match rose throughout the afternoon. We were in a position to sweep at the bottom three spots in the lineup, but the home team pushed us to three sets. The same thing happened at the top three positions as we captured the second sets. Filip defeated No. 15 Corey Craig and Roan beat No. 27 Jamie Connel at courts one and two, respectively, giving us a 3-0 lead. Â
The garnet, gold and white did not stop competing and captured tight three-set matches at four, five and six to even the score 3-3. That left our Spanish beast (La Bestia), Matias, on the deciding court again. The junior from Mallorca (Spain) was down 6-7, 1-4 before clawing his way back on top in the second and forcing a final set. In fact, all six singles matches were three-setters. The shouts of "ALA!-BAMA!" and "LET'S GO NOOOOOOOOOLES!" echoed throughout the FSU indoor tennis facility. At 6-5, deuce, Mati hit a backhand return pass that clinched the match and he was celebrated with an on-court rush by his fired up teammates. Match Bama!
A great road victory for us, but more importantly, a very impressive display of focus, calmness, clarity and determination in tight moments. Florida State had defeated us 4-3 at home in 2024, so reversing the tables this time around was awesome. Following a quick dinner, our caravan of four vehicles got back on the highway and returned to Tuscaloosa with smiles from ear to ear.
We now shift to our outdoor season and where we added Presbyterian to prepare us for upcoming SEC matches. Following our match with the Blue Hose, we will be at home next on Friday, February 28, vs. Georgia at 6 p.m. and Sunday, March 2, vs. Vanderbilt at 2 p.m.
The Crimson Racket Club hospitality area will be set up at court level and we will have court side seating in between courts one and two. Members can grab their credential at the CRC table next to the front entrance to the outdoor facility. Then walk down the pathway behind courts one, three and five or come down the stairs in the middle of the upper bleachers. The CRC hospitality area will be set up in the middle breezeway across from the media relations and PA tables.
We look forward to seeing you soon and sharing the tennis love.
Roll Tide,
George
