SCF Tennis Finishes Sixth at Nationals

PC: SCF Tennis Twitter (@TennisSCF)

Tucson, Ariz - The #6 SCF tennis team closed their season as they finished in the Top 10 with a sixth place finish at the NJCAA Women's Tennis Tournament at Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Arizona. This was their eighth Top 10 finish in nationals overall and the third straight time (2019, 2021, 2022) this year.

Tyler Junior College, the defending champions, would win the entire tournament and retain the title for the second straight season and their 21st in their program history with 46 points. Hillsborough were named the runner-up for third straight year after finishing one point behind Tyler with 45 points.

With only three matches left for the Manatees, freshman Saku Suzuki would end her singles season for her first year as she fell to freshman Yeva Konnovych (Tyler JC) in the semifinals of the Flight #5 Singles by a score of 6-2, 6-3. Suzuki would finish with a record of 14-5.

In the last doubles matches, Sophomores Carlota "Carly" Gascon Martinez and Kia Carvalho-Landell fell to sophomore Destinee Martins and freshman Lauren Anzalotta (Tyler JC) 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Flight #1 doubles, while Suzuki and sophomore Lou De Freitas Bonet fell to freshmen Kelly Arends and Abigail Wild (Tyler JC) 6-4, 6-3. Gascon Martinez and Carvalho-Landell would end their doubles career at 14-11 overall (10-7 in dual action), while Suzuki and De Freitas Bonet would finish at 14-4.

Flight Champions:

Singles -

1 Lauren Anzalotta (Tyler JC)

2 Destinee Martins (Tyler JC)

3 Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya (HCC)

4 Georgia Lilly Lynn Browne (SPC)

5 Esmee Andresen (HCC)

6 Jimena Ramirez (Seward County CC)

Doubles -

1 Valeria Cherfus and Naomi McKenzie (SPC)

2 Arina Gamretkaia and Olivia Pezo (HCC)

3 Esmee Andresen and Ita Habekovic (HCC)

Place	Team	Total Points
1	Tyler Junior College (TX)	46
2	Hillsborough Community College (FL)	45
3	Seward County Community College (KS)	37
4	St. Petersburg College (FL)	36
5	Cowley College (KS)	30
6	State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (FL)	28
7	Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (GA)	26
8	Weatherford College (TX)	24
9	Collin College (TX)	21
10	Barton Community College (KS)	20
11	Meridian Community College (MS)	17
12	Wallace State (AL)	16.5
13	Jones College (MS)	15.5
14	Lewis & Clark Community College (IL)	15
15	University of South Carolina Sumter (SC)	15
16	Coastal Alabama - Bay Minette (AL)	10.5
17	Eastern Arizona College (AZ)	10.5
18	Central Alabama Community College (AL)	9
19	Hinds Community College (MS)	9
20	Mesa Community College (AZ)	9
21	Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MS)	9
22	New Mexico Military Institute (NM)	9
23	Iowa Central Community College (IA)	6
24	Paradise Valley Community College (AZ)	4
25	Sauk Valley Community College (IL)	3
26	College of Lake County (IL)	0
27	Mercer County Community College (NJ)	0

SCF Tennis Keeps Moving on Day Two of Nationals

Tucson, Ariz - The SCF tennis team wrapped up day two of the NJCAA Women's Tennis Tournament at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Arizona with four singles wins and three doubles wins to earn more points for their standings.

Sophomore Carlota "Carly" Gascon Martinez would fall in the second round of the Flight #1 singles as she fell to #3 seed freshman Naomi McKenzie (St. Pete) 6-3, 6-4 to close her singles season. Gascon Martinez would continue playing in doubles action. The Manatees would avenge their first loss as classmate and #5 seed Kia Carvalho-Landell, who had a first round bye, would defeat sophomore Mimi Li (Collin CC) in three sets by a score of 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals at the Flight #3 singles. Carvalho-Landell will face freshman Camille Belberka, who defeated Carolina Segura (USC Sumpter) with a 6-0 pair decision.

The Manatees would fall in their second singles match as sophomore Sarah Forsyth fell in the second round to freshman Azul Barrios (Barton CC) 6-4, 6-2 to close her singles season, but remained ready for doubles action.

The Manatees would later closes singles play as freshman Saku Suzuki, who earned a first round bye as the #2 seed, defeated sophomore Morgan Ross (Hinds CC) 6-0, 6-1 in the second round of the Flight #5 singles, while classmate Jessica Bustamante, the #7 seed that also received a first round bye, defeated Anna Woods (Central Alabama CC) 6-1, 6-0 in the Flight #6 singles and sophomore Lou De Freitas Bonet defeated freshman Emma Samery (Iowa Central CC) with 6-0 pair decision. Suzuki will face freshman Marija Ristanovic (Weatherford College) in the quarterfinals, while Bustamante will face freshman Yeva Kramarova (Tyler JC) and De Freitas Bonet faces Ita Habekovic (HCC).

The Manatees would earn 12 points for winning their singles matches. In doubles play, all three teams received a first round bye and advanced to the second round.

Carvalho-Landell and Gascon Martinez (#5 seed) defeated Li and freshman Larissa Correra (Collin CC) 6-2, 6-3 at the Flight #1 doubles. They will face freshmen Jou Chen and Nicole Lafour (ABAC) in the quarterfinals.

After Carvalho-Landell and Gascon Martinez's win, De Freitas Bonet and Suzuki (the #2 seed) defeated sophomores Isabella Warham and Sarah Cline (Meridian CC) with a 6-1 pair decision at the Flight #2 doubles. They will face sophomore Tiffany-Anne Beukes and freshman Yazmin Barrios (ABAC) in the quarterfinals.

In the final doubles match, Forsyth and sophomore Luna Mouton (the #6 seed) defeated freshman Sophie Endt and sophomore Alexandra Johnson (Jones College) 6-1, 6-2 in the second round of the Flight #3 doubles. Forsyth and Mouton will face freshmen Alejandra Sandoval and Jimena Ramirez (Seward County CC).

SCF Tennis Starts Strong at Nationals

Tucson, Ariz - The SCF tennis got off to a strong start to start day one of the four day NJCAA Women's Tennis National Tournament at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Arizona. The Manatees were able to snag four points to wrap up day one.

In singles play, sophomore Carlota "Carly" Gascon Martinez (#33 in the nation) would finish the first matchup at Flight 1 singles as she defeated freshman Eni Anic (Hinds CC) 6-3, 6-0 in the first round. Gascon Martinez will take on a conference rival in St. Pete Naomi McKenzie (#4 in the nation) in the second round. McKenzie earned a first round bye after being named the #3 seed in the flight. Meanwhile Anic will move down to the consolation round of 16 after receiving a first round bye.

In the second singles match, sophomore Sarah Forsyth would sweep her opponent at the Flight 4 singles as she defeated sophomore Taji Williams (Coastal Alabama) 6-0, 6-2 in the first round. She will face #6 seed Azul Barrios (Barton CC) in the second round, while Williams moves down to the consolation round.

Sophomore Lou De Freitas Bonet and Kia Carvalho-Landell and freshmen Saku Suzuki and Jessica Bustamante all earned first round bye in their respective flights and will face their first opponents tomorrow. Aditionally, all three Manatees doubles teams have earned a first round bye and will await their opponents.

Up Next:

Day two of the national tournament will commence as De Freitas Bonet, Carvalho-Landell, Suzuki and Bustamante will play their first opponents in the second round while doubles will play in the second round after their first round byes.

Day Two Schedule:

Singles - 

Flight 1 - #33 Gascon Martinez vs #4 Naomi McKenzie (#3 seed) @ 10:30 EST/ 7:30 PST

Flight 2 - #6 De Freitas Bonet (#6 seed) vs Emma Semery (Iowa Central CC) @ 12:30 pm EST/9:30 am PST

Flight 3 - #45 Carvalho-Landell (#5 seed) vs Mimi Li (Collin CC) @ 12 pm EST/9 am PST

Flight 4 - Forsyth vs Azul Barrios (Barton CC) (#6 seed) @ 1:30 pm EST/10:30 am PST

Flight 5 -#38 Suzuki (#2 seed) vs Morgan Ross (Hinds CC) @ 1:30 pm EST/11:30 am PST

Flight 6- Bustamante (#7 seed) vs Anna Woods (Central Alabama CC) @ 3:30 pm EST/12:30 pm PST

Doubles - 

Flight 1 - Gascon Martinez/Carvalho-Landell (#5 seed) vs Mimi Li/Larissa Correa (Collin CC) @ 5:30 pm EST/2:30 pm PST

Flight 2 - Suzuki/De Freitas Bonet (#2 seed) vs Isabella Warham/Sarah Cline (Meridian CC) @ 5 pm EST/2 pm PST

Flight 3 - Forsyth/Mouton (#6 seed) vs Sophie Endt/Alexandra Johnson (Jones College) @ 6 pm EST/3 pm PST

Day One Standings:

1	Barton Community College (KS)	14
2	Collin College (TX)	14
3	Lewis & Clark Community College (IL)	14
4	Meridian Community College (MS)	14
5	University of South Carolina Sumter (SC)	14
6	Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (GA)	12
7	Wallace State (AL)	12
8	Jones College (MS)	10
9	New Mexico Military Institute (NM)	8
10	Coastal Alabama - Bay Minette (AL)	6
11	Hinds Community College (MS)	6
12	Mesa Community College (AZ)	6
13	Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MS)	6
14	Weatherford College (TX)	6
15	Central Alabama Community College (AL)	4
16	Iowa Central Community College (IA)	4
17	Paradise Valley Community College (AZ)	4
18	State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (FL)	4
19	Cowley College (KS)	2
20	Eastern Arizona College (AZ)	2
21	Sauk Valley Community College (IL)	2
22	St. Petersburg College (FL)	2
23	College of Lake County (IL)	0
24	Hillsborough Community College (FL)	0
25	Mercer County Community College (NJ)	0
26	Seward County Community College (KS)	0
27	Tyler Junior College (TX)	0

SCF Tennis Readies for Nationals

Bradenton, Fla - After a hard fought moment, the #6 SCF tennis team will be setting their sights on their next milestone. The Manatees will travel 2,082 mile to the west as they head to Tucson, Arizona for the five-day NJCAA National Women's Tennis Championship at the Reffkin Tennis Center. Matches begin from May 7-11.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of automatically qualifying for nationals after finishing third in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament in Almonte Springs. They would finish behind runner-up #3 St. Pete and the champions #2 Hillsborough. It would be the backdraw wins in singles competition that would help the Manatees get the automatic qualifier.

In singles play, freshman Sakurako Suzuki leads the way for the Manatees. Suzuki, who joined the Manatees in the spring, is currently ranked #38 in the nation while currently going 10-4 overall at the #5 singles spot. At the FCSAA State Tournament, she was the lone player that won all of her matches at the #5 singles spot and became the #5 flight singles champion. Additonally, Suzuki was named this years SCF Female Athlete of the Year.

Sophomore Lou De Freitas Bonet is 8-6 at the #2 singles spot, while being ranked #23 in the nation and #5 in the state

In doubles, Suzuki and De Freitas Bonet are ranked #12 in the nation and are currently are 11-3 at the #2 spot. They finished runner-up at the #2 doubles championship after losing to HCC.

Sophomore Kia Carvalho-Landell, who is ranked #6 in the state and #45 in the nation, follows behind Suzuki in singles as she is currently 9-4 at the #3 singles spot. She finished third at the #3 singles championship after defeating freshman Helena Jokanovic (Eastern Florida State) 8-2.

In doubles play, Carvalho-Landell is also ranked #18 in the nation with fellow classmate Carlota Gascon Martinez as they are 7-7 at the #1 doubles spot. Gascon Martinez is currently ranked #33 in the nation despite going 4-9 at the #1 singles spot.

Moving On:

Three of the sophomores have already signed and committed to the next level in their collegiate tennis careers.

Carvalho-Landell will continue her path at Holy Cross College (NAIA) in Notre Dame, Indiana (suburb of South Bend, Indiana) with up to three years of eligibility remaining. The Saints finished their season at 8-14 overall with a 3-3 record in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Confernce (CCAC) before falling in the semifinals of the CCAC Tournament.

Gascon Martinez will be transferring to Blue Mountain College (NAIA) with two years of eligibility remaining. The Toppers finished their current season 5-6 overall with a 3-3 record in the Southern State Athletic Conference (SSAC) where they fell in the opening round of the SSAC Tournament.

Sophomore Luna Mouton, who primarily played doubles with classmate Sarah Forsyth, will continue her collegiate tennis career at the University of West Georgia (NCAA DII) with up to three years of eligibility remaining. She is currently 8-4 in doubles play with Forsyth at #3 doubles. Additionally, Mouton will join and reunite with former Manatee Karla Menendez. The Wolves finished their season 5-12 overall with a 1-9 record in the Gulf South Conference.

Teams Entered and Qualified:

Aside from SCF, 28 teams have qualified for the tournament -
#1 Tyler JC (Region 14)**

#2 HCC (Region 8)

#3 SPC (Region 8)

#4 Seward County CC (Region 6)

#5 Cowley College (Region 6)

#6 SCF (Region 8)

#7 Weatherford (Region 5)

#8 Collin CC (Region 5)

#10 Abraham Baldwin (Region 17)

#11 Barton CC (Region 6)

#12 Jones College (Region 23)

#13 Iowa Central (Region 11)

#14 Wallace CC (Region 22)

#15 Lewis and Clark CC (Region 24)

#16 Meridian CC (Region 23)*

#17 Mississippi Gulf Coast (Region 23)

#18 Central Alabama (Region 22)

#19 Hinds CC (Region 23)

#20 Eastern Arizona (Region 1)

#22 Coastal Alabama (Region 22)

#25 Mesa College (Region 1)

Paradise Valley (Region 1)

College of Lake County (Region 4)

Sauk Valley CC (Region 4)

New Mexico Military (Region 5)

Southwest Virginia (Region 10)

USC Sumpter (Region 10)

Mercer County CC (Region 19)

*At-Large

** Defending Champions

***Host

Tyler Junior College are the reigning and defending champions and ranked #1 in the nation. They finished their regular season 11-4 overall.

Opening Match Draws:

De Freitas Bonet, Carvalho-Landell, Suzuki and Bustamante all earned a first round bye for singles play and will play their first matches on May 8. In doubles, all three doubles teams have earned a first round bye and will play on May 8.

Singles -

Flight 1 - #33 Gascon Martinez vs Eni Anic (Hinds CC) @ 10:30 am EST/7:30 am PST May 7

Flight 2 - #23 De Freitas (#6 seed) vs Emma Semery (Iowa Central CC) or Haley Quick (Lake County CC) 12:30 pm EST/9:30 am PST May 8

Flight 3 - #45 Carvalho-Landell (#5 seed) vs Mimi Li (Collin CC) or Jane League (Central Alabama) @ 12 pm EST/9 am PST May 8

Flight 4 - Forsyth vs Taji Williams (Coastal Alabama) @ 1:30 pm EST/11:30 am PST May 7

Flight 5 - #38 Suzuki (#2 seed) vs Lex Sneek (Sauk Valley CC) or Morgan Ross (Hinds CC) @ 1:30 pm EST/11:30 am PST May 8

Flight 6 - Bustamante (#7 seed) vs Kylie Williams (Mesa CC) or Anna Woods (Central Alabama CC) @ 3:30 pm EST/12:30 pm PST May 8

Doubles -

Flight 1 - Carvalho-Landell/Gascon Martinez (#5 seed) vs Mimi Li/Larissa Correa (Collin CC) or Mia Hoddinghaus/Sarah Powell (Jones College) @ 5:30 pm EST/2:30 pm PST May 8

Flight 2 - Suzuki/De Freitas Bonet (#2 seed) vs Isabella Warham/Sarah Cline (Meridian CC) or Breanna Vann/Natalia Barron (Wallace State CC) @ 5 pm EST/2 pm PST May 8

Flight 3 - Forsyth/Mouton (#6 seed) vs Taji Williams/Emma Spears (Coastal Alabama) or Sophie Endt/Alexandra Johnson (Jones College) @ 6 pm EST/3 pm PST May 8.