SCF Tennis Wraps Up Day One in First

Tyler, Texas - The #10 SCF tennis team wrapped up day one of the NJCAA National Tennis Tournament at the Joann Medlock Murphy Tennis Center winning all six singles and and all three doubles. The Manatees would finish with 16 points and moved to first place in the standings.

While sophomore Elena Baughman Saunders secured a win via first round bye at the flight 5 singles, she will play sophomore Ivey Bruntlett (Eastern Central CC) in the second round. Bruntlett also had a first round bye.

Freshman Ainara Vegal Rodriguez would secure the win at flight 1 singles as she defeated freshman Zarina Sayed (Oakton College) 6-0, 6-1. Vegal Rodriguez will face freshman Isabela Marcante (St. Pete) in the second round. Following Vegal Rodriguez's win, sophomore Sakurako Suzuki would defeat freshman Simona Tomczak (Moraine Valley CC) with a 6-0 pair decision at the flight 2 singles. Suzuki will face #2 seed freshman Arina Babenko (Cowley College) in the next round

At flight 3 single, freshman Ainhoa Meili Fernandez Del Moral Perier defeated sophomore Lily Trucet (Central Alabama CC) 6-1, 6-2 while classmate Joanne Fernandes defeated freshman Aubrey Schultz (Moraine Valley CC) with a 6-2 pair decsion. Meili Fernandez Del Moral Perier will face sophomore Yazmin Barrios (Abraham Baldwin) in the second round, while Fernandes will take on freshman Aleesia Ciampi (St. Pete College).

In the final match, freshman Alexis Dunlap would complete the singles sweep as she would defeat freshman Lake Killman (USC Sumter) 6-1, 6-0 at the flight 6 singles. Dunlap will face Ana Vasilis (Barton CC), who received a first round bye, in the second round.

In doubles play, Baughman Sanders and Suzuki would defeat sophomore Alethea Lacroix and Kylie Willams (Mesa CC) with a 6-0 pair decision in the flight 1 singles. They will face the #4 seed duo of sophomore Isid Hernandez and freshman Alexandra Melnikova (Cowley College) in the second round.

Dunlap and freshman Natasha Beader would follow with 6-0 pair decision win over Tomczak and freshman Erica Chapan (Moraine Valley CC) at flight 3 doubles before Rodriguez and Meili wrapped it up with a 6-2, 6-0 win over sophomore Allie Johnson and freshman Maggie Savell (Jones College) at the flight 2 doubles. Dunlap and Beader will face sophomores Mariia Koroleva and Camila Neyra (Cowley College) next, while Rodriguez and Meili face Barrios and freshman Victoria Conde (Abraham Baldwin).

Points Standings (After Day One):

1.  #10 SCF (16)

2. #8 Collin College (14)

#19 USC - Sumter (14)

4. #12 Jones (12)

#13 Mississippi Gulf Coast (12)

#5 St. Pete (12)

7. #11 Weatherford (10)

8. #4 Abraham Baldwin (8)

#14 Wallace State (8)

11. #6 Barton (6)

Central Alabama CC (6)

#9 Eastern Florida State (6)

#17 Meridian CC (6)

#3 Tyler JC (6)

16. #24 East Central CC (4)

#16 Eastern Arizona CC (4)

#21 Iowa Central CC (4)

#22 Mesa CC (4)

Moraine Valley CC (4)

#7 Seward County CC (4)

22.#20  Lewis and Clark CC (2)

Mercer CC (2)

24. #2 Cowley (0)

#1 HCC (0)

Jacksonville College (0)

College of Lake County (0)

Oakton CC (0)

Sauk Valley (0)

Up Next:

Day two of the NJCAA Tennis Tournament will commence with the matches as listed:

Flight 1 singles - Rodriguez vs Marcante (East Central CC) @ 9 am EST/8 am CDT

Flight 2 singles - Suzuki vs Babenko (Cowley College) @ 9 am EST/8 am CDT

Flight 3 singles - Meili vs Barrios (Abraham Baldwin) @ 10:15 am EST/9:15 am CDT

Flight 4 singles - Fernandes vs Ciampi (St. Pete) 

Flight 5 singles - Baughman Saunders vs Bruntlett (Eastern Central CC) @ 11:30 am EST/10:30 am CDT

Flight 6 - Dunlap vs Vasilis (Barton CC) @ 11:30 am EST/10:30 am CDT

Flight 1 doubles - Baughman Saunders/Suzuki vs Hernandez/Melnikova (Cowley College) @ 12:45 pm EST/11:45 am CDT

Flight 2 doubles - Rodriguez/Meili vs Barrios/Conde (Abraham Baldwin) @ 12:45 pm EST/11:45 am CDT

Flight 3 doubles - Dunlap/Beader vs Koroleva/Neyra (Cowley College) @ 1 pm EST/ 12 pm CDT

SCF Tennis Takes Down SPC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF tennis team (3-8, 2-4 Region 8) closed out the regular season on a good note as they defeated St. Pete College (4-5, 2-3 Region 8) 5-4 at the SCF Tennis Complex.

"Overall, the team did well to grind out a win over a gritty SPC team," said head coach Chloe Murphy. "While SPC only had four players, they competed hard and made us work for everything. It was nice getting two back-to-back conference wins for us on the plus side. It will really help us as it leads to states to give the girls some extra confidence.

Before the matches took place, Murphy recognized and honored her two sophomores for the season: Sakurako Suzuki and Elena Baughman Sanders.

"Sophomore day is always bittersweet," said Murphy. "It's fun to celebrate the sophomores, but definitely bittersweet knowing that was the last time watching them compete on our courts."

With the celebration over, doubles would commence. The Lady Titans only had four active players able to play. The duo of freshmen Alexis Dunlap and Natasha Beader would win at #3 doubles via forfeit. After Suzuki and Baughman Sanders fell 8-2 to sophomore Kanna Kobayakawa and freshman Alessia Ciampi at #1 doubles, the freshman duo of Ainara Vegal Rodriguez and Ainhoa Meili Fernandez Del Moral Perier defeated freshmen Kyoka Ueno and Ai Katsura 8-6 at #2 doubles to give the Manatees a 2-1 lead.

Singles play would then commence as Dunlap and Beader would win their matches via forfeit at #5 and #6 singles. Needing only one win in singles, Meili Fernandez Del Moral Perier would seal the deal as she defeated Ueno 6-4, 6-2 at #3 singles. Suzuki (4-6, 0-6 loss to Ciampi), Baughman Sanders (1-6, 3-6 loss to Katsura) and Vegal Rodriguez (5-7, 4-6 to Kobayakawa) would fall in their respected singles matches in the end.

Up Next:

The Manatees will have one more scrimmage with NAIA Keiser University before going states bound.

SCF Tennis Secures First Conference Win

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF tennis team (2-8, 1-4 Region 8) battled through grueling injuries, but were able to pull away with their first conference win over Eastern Florida State (7-4, 2-3 Region 8) by a score of 5-4.

"Today was awesome," said head coach Chloe Murphy. "It was nice to see the girls play and the hard work paying off in the end that we have been talking about doing what we're supposed to do on the practice court and the results speak for themselves, so it was nice for them to experience that today. We came back from a little bit of adversity, but four of the girls stepped up. It was hard seeing Jojo (Fernandes) getting injured in her singles match, which put a damper on things a little bit, but the rest of the team didn't give up and stepped in nicely to get us this win."

"I think after we lost against them earlier we had doubts," said sophomore Sakurako Suzuki. "Today, the lineup was different, so I felt like we could win easier than the last time."

"I'm really happy for us," said freshman Alexis Dunlap. "I feel like it's been a tough season, but I know all of us have been working extremely hard, so to see it pay off was really nice."

Beginning with doubles, the duo of Dunlap and freshman Joanne Fernandes defeated sophomore Luisa Renovales and freshman Lucia Lucas by a score of 8-2 on #3 doubles. After Suzuki and sophomore Elena Baughman Sanders fell 8-2 to sophomore Simona Karlsson and freshman Gloria Bacaro on #1 doubles, the freshman duo of Ainoha Meili Fernandez and Ainara Vegal Rodriguez would defeat sophomore Helena Jokanovic and freshman Emma Sanchez 8-2 at #1 doubles to give the Manatees a 2-1 lead.

As singles went underway, the Manatees would lose first one as Fernandes fell to Renovales via retire at #4 singles, but they would make it up as Vegal Rodriguez would win her match 6-2, 6-1 over Karlsson at #1 singles. Dunlap would then win her match against freshman Ksenia Krupniakova 6-0, 6-4 at #6 singles before freshman Natasha Beader fell to sophomore Paige Noble-Lucas 6-3, 6-4 at #5 singles.

"I feel like I could have done better on my singles match," said Dunlap. "The serves were not where I wanted to put them, but I pulled it together eventually and I got the win, so I know I did something right, but I wish I would have made a few more balls and make her (Krupniakova) work a little bit more for those points when they were easily given to her." 

With two matches left, Suzuki would be the hero as she defeated Bacaro 6-4, 6-2 on #2 singles before Meili Fernandez fell to Jokanovic 6-4, 0-6, 2-6 at #3 singles.

"I was playing at a good pace and use a lot more spins on the serve," said Suzuki. "I thought it was a lot better for me for me hitting the ball."

Up Next:

The Manatees will return back at home for their final home match of the season as they welcome St. Pete College (4-4, 2-2 Region 8) Monday afternoon, April 3 at 2 pm. This will also be dubbed sophomore day for Suzuki and Baughman Sanders.

SCF Tennis Secures First Win

Winter Haven, Fla - The SCF tennis team (1-6, 0-2 Region 8) were able to secure their first win of the 2023 season as they defeated NAIA Warner University (2-11, 0-1 Sun) 7-0.

Beginning with doubles, the duo of sophomore Sakurako Suzuki and freshman Ainhoa Meili Fernandez defeated sophomore Alizee Piette and freshman Victoria Belisario 6-0 at #1 doubles in under 20 minutes. The duo of sophomore Elena Baughman-Sanders and freshman Ainara Vegal Rodriguez defeated the sophomore duo of Riley Cook and Carla Schneider 7-5 at #2 doubles to secure the first point for the Manatees.

As singles went underway, the Manatees held a 3-0 lead heading in as Baughman-Sanders (#5 singles) and freshman Alexis Dunlap (#6 singles) each secured a win via forfeit. From there, Meili Fernandez defeated Belisario 6-3, 6-0 at the #3 singles at the same time as freshman Joanne Fernades defeated Schneider 6-3, 6-0 at the #4 singles to make it 5-0 SCF and claim the win.

In the last two matches, Vegal Rodriguez defeated Piette 6-0, 6-1 at the #1 singles before Suzuki sealed the shutout with a 6-1 pair decision over Cook at #2 singles.

Up Next:

The Manatees remain on the road as they travel to Orlando for the UTSA National Tournament. They will face the University of West Georgia (6-2, 2-4 GSC) Monday, March 20 at 10 am.

SCF Tennis Readies for Season Opener

Bradenton, Fla - After another strong season in the archives, the SCF tennis team will look to put 2022 in the past as they prepare for the 2023 season opener. The Manatees will open the season at home at the SCF Tennis Complex as they welcome Southeastern University (NAIA) Tuesday afternoon, January 31 at 4:30 pm. before welcoming Rollins College (NCAA DII) Wednesday afternoon, February 1 at 2 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of finishing last season 7-4 overall with a 2-4 record in conference, while being ranked #6 in the nation. They would finish third in conference before traveling to Almonte Springs for the FCSAA State Tournament where they would earn an automatic qualifying bid to the NJCAA National Tennis Tournament in Tucson, Arizona. There they would finish in sixth place out of the 27 teams that qualified.

Meet the Team:

The team is lead by head coach and assistant athletic director Chloe Murphy. The 2014 SCF alum and former standout at the University of South Florida (USF) enters her sixth season as head coach and second season as assistant athletic director.

With a new season, it will include changes on the roster as four players have moved on play collegiate tennis at the university level, Carlotta 'Carly' Gascon Martinez (Bluefield College NAIA), Kia Carvalho-Landell (Holy Cross College NAIA) and Luna Mouton (West Georgia NCAA DII).

The Manatees were able to return two players from last season in sophomores Sakurao "Saku" Suzuki and Jenna Gusto.

Suzuki finished her freshman campaign 14-5 at #5 singles and 14-4 at #2 doubles with Lou De Freitas Bonet. She was the FCSAA Flight 5 Singles Champion before finishing as far as the semifinals in the NJCAA Women's Tennis Tournament.

Gusto played mostly in exhibition matches for the Manatees.

Murphy was able to sign six newcomers, which include freshman Ainara Vegal Rodriguez and sophomore transfer Elena Baughman Sanders (Weatherford College).

Scouting Southeastern:

The Lady Flames are lead by head coach Drew Dickens, who enters his fifth season as head coach for both the men's and women's teams.

The Lady Flames, who were ranked at #14 in the nation (NAIA), are coming off of finishing last season 14-7 overall with a 3-3 record in the Sun Conference. They would fall to then #2 Keiser (#1 seed in the tournament) in the semifinals of the Sun Conference Tennis Tournament before securing a spot in the NAIA National Tournament as an at-large bid where they would win the first round over #19 Midland University (4-0) before falling in the round of 16 to #4 LSU Alexandria (4-0).

For the start of the season, they are ranked #12 in the nation (NAIA).

Dickens will bring back the majority of the entire roster from last season. The primary returners for the Lady Flames include sophomore Martina Picardi, seniors Abigail Damon, Maria Martinez and Beatrice Letizia and grad student Priscilla Baptista.

Picardi finished her freshman campaign 13-3 overall in singles (10-2 at #1 singles; 3-1 at #2 singles) and 13-7 in doubles with Baptista (11-4 #2 doubles; 2-3 at #1 doubles). As a result of her playing, the Italian native was named the Sun Conference Player of the Year as well as a member of the All-Sun Conference First Team.

Playing all season at #6 singles, Damon finished her junior year 9-8 in singles and 6-11 in doubles (4-3 at #3 with Neleah Neiberline, 2-8 at #1 with Letizia).

Martinez was 1-0 at the #6 singles before being sidelined with an injury during the spring, however she served as a player assistant and was eventually named a recipient of the Champion of Character award for her spirit.

Letizia rotated playing between #1 and #2 singles where she had a combined 11-5 in singles (2-2 @ #1 singles, 9-3 @ #2 singles) and 3-14 with Damon at #1 and #2 doubles.

Baptista played between #3 to #5 singles where she went 10-6 overall in singles play and 12-7 in doubles with Picardi. Additionally, she was named a member of the All-Sun Lakes Conference Second Team.

Series History:

The series between SCF and Southeastern is in favor of the Manatees as they are 2-1 overall. In their last meeting, the Manatees came out on top by a score of 8-1.

How to Keep Up:

The matches will have livestats provided by ioncourt.com and will air a random match on the SCF Manatees Facebook page. Fans can keep up with the team on their social media platforms:

Livestats - https://ioncourt.com/ties/62016357c7d307efde9eebb4

Livestream - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077304367919

Social Media - 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077304367919

Instagram: @SCFtennis

Twitter: @TennisSCF