Tennis eyes opening weekend at home

    The GCSU tennis teams begin action this weekend, when the men’s team hosts Morehouse College on Friday and both teams face Georgia Southwestern State University on Saturday.
    Neither team has played in official matches since the fall semester, when they took part in three tournaments, the last being the Chick-Fil-A Collegiate Championships in Augusta.
    Expectations are high for both teams, as they each begin the season ranked in the top 20 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Division II preseason poll, with the ladies voted No.17 and the men voted No. 20.
    The women’s team is veteran-heavy, with six seniors and juniors, and only one sophomore and one freshman.
    Sofia Intriago, Whitney Lightfoot, and Celine Martin are the three seniors playing their last matches for the Lady Bobcats this season, while a few new faces will play their first matches for GCSU.
    Juniors Gabby Acuna and Marjorie Ceppo, and freshman Bertille Lion paced the Lady Bobcats in the fall tournaments, coming away with four wins each.  Ceppo had the best overall record at 4-2.
    The men’s team has a good mix of experience and youth, with two seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.  Matthew Belenchia and Tony Bertucci enter their final season as Bobcats.
    Redshirt junior Erick Siqueira led the team in wins this fall, going 7-2 across the three tournaments.  Sophomore Max Beliankou and freshman Francis Yoshimoto each had five wins during tournament play.
    Something interesting to note about the tennis teams here at GCSU is the international influence present. 
    A quick glance at the rosters reveals five of nine players on the men’s team and six of nine on the women’s team came to GCSU from other countries, whether directly or through community colleges.
    The veteran players, the incoming new talent, and the international flair should add up to great seasons for both Bobcat teams this season.  Their matches are played on the Centennial Center courts during the middle of the day, so come out and support the teams this season.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 8 2008. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry