"Tonight was a good match for the girls," said head coach Chloe Murphy. "It was a great team effort and they came out and competed really hard while bringing insane energy today and doing what we asked them to do and I'm so proud of them for tonight's effort."
"We were very to win the first match of the season, especially with it being at home," said sophomore Lou De Freitas Bonet. "People came to see us play and we all did quite a phenomenal job and we were very happy to win this matchup."
Doubles would start off in the Manatees favor as the sophomore duo of Sarah Forsyth and Luna Mouton defeated Rebecca Schnatz and Nadezda Bijelic 8-5 at #3 doubles. De Freitas Bonet and freshman Saku Suzuki would follow with an 8-5 of their own over Abigail Damon and Neleah Neiberline at #2 doubles before the sophomore duo of Kia Carvalho-Landell and Carly Gascon Martinez defeated Martina Pacardi and Priscila Baptista 8-6 at #1 double for a clean sweep and a 3-0 lead.
"I felt like me and Saku were a good pair for doubles," said De Freitas Bonet on her doubles match. "She's playing backhand, while I'm playing forehand, so we were really good together. We had a good attitude while cheering for each other, which was good, and we weren't missing a lot, which was even better."
"Me and Lou were playing really good at the net, so she was really happy for me," said Suzuki on her doubles play.
Singles would then go underway five minutes later and it would be freshman Jessica Bustamante that would take the first match over freshman Korinne Harris by a score of 6-0, 6-1 at #6 singles.
“Overall, I felt like I played really well,” said Bustamante on her match. “I played with a key strategy instead of just hitting the ball, but I played strategically and I made my serves and shots in with consistency and it worked out in the end.”
Suzuki would seal the deal for the Manatees overall with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Bijelic at #5 singles.
“I played really well today,” said Suzuki on her singles play. "I felt like I had a lot of control for myself. I mixed a lot of everything from my drop shots to groundstrokes and I was able to hit stronger."
Despite the Manatees winning the match overall, singles play would continue as De Freitas Bonet would get a 6-4, 6-2 win over Neiberline.
“In singles, the beginning of the match was hard for me winning 4-3 in the first set before going up 5-4 and then 6-4,” said De Freitas Bonet on her singles play. "After that, she (Neiberline) missed a lot afterwards and it was easier for me."
The Lady Flames would get their lone point on the board as Gascon Martinez, despite a strong comeback in the second set, would fall to Picardi at #1 singles by a score of 6-0, 7-5.
“The girl Carly played was really good, solid player that played lights out tennis in the first set” said Murphy on Gascon Martinez’s game vs Picardi. "I told her to keep her head up, keep plugging away and keep Picardi playing ball. She found it on the way back in the second set and fought incredibly hard while keeping her on for an extra 30 to 40 minutes, so I couldn't be any happier for her performance today."
With two matches left, Carvalho-Landell would get a three-set win over Baptista by a score of 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 at #3 singles before Forsyth claimed the final point with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Damon at #4 singles.
Mouton and freshman Jenna Gusto would also played one set singles matches before the series ended.
Mouton and freshman Jenna Gusto would also played one set singles matches before the series ended.
Notes:
This was the spring season debuts of Suzuki, Bustamante and Gascon Martinez. Gascon Martinez joined the Manatees after transferring from Eastern Florida State College.
This was the spring season debuts of Suzuki, Bustamante and Gascon Martinez. Gascon Martinez joined the Manatees after transferring from Eastern Florida State College.
"It was awesome," said Murphy on the newcomer's debuts. "They have been in the lineup for the scrimmages that we had so far, even if they were away. Jess (Bustamante) picked up a nice win against Florida Southern, but to get their first official wins, especially at home, it was good to see them start to really relax into their tennis."
"While it was my first time being here at SCF, I love it here," said Suzuki on her debut. "I love all my teammates and this college and they were all very nice to me, so it is amazing being here."
Additionally for the first time in the program's history, the Manatees officially debuted the addition of livestats and livestream of the matches.
"It's always nice to give the girls something so they get exposure," said Murphy on the new additions. "I wish I was back to being a player and get to be a part of that, but obviously technology wasn't where it is now, but it was amazing to broadcast the kids that worked so hard and I'm happy we got quite a few international kids' families that keep up with the matches, so it was exciting to bring that to them."
Up Next:
The Manatees will be back on the road for another scrimmage as they travel to Winter Park to take on NCAA DII Rollins College Tuesday afternoon, February 8 at 4 pm.
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