GERALD L. WALLACE TENNIS CENTER, MOBILE, Ala. - The University of Mobile Men's Tennis team completed the 2023 regular season schedule on Tuesday evening, Apr. 18, hosting crosstown rival Spring Hill College for a non-divisional match and defeating the Badgers, 5-2. The win improves Mobile's overall record to 8-5 this season, while the Rams enter the 2023 SSAC Men's Tennis Championship Tournament with a 1-5 conference record.
Mobile Builds Confidence
Mobile's victory over Spring Hill on Tuesday was considered one of the best wins of the season to head coach Uwe Tittl. Spring Hill is coming off winning the SIAC Men's Tennis Championship in the NCAA Division II after finishing the year with a perfect 10-0 conference record. "Wow, what a match!," Tittl exclaimed following the match. "Really proud of the guys today to defeat the SIAC Champions this season. We ended the regular season on a high note by defeating our rivals and hope to build on this victory going into the conference tournament."
The two rivals opened the match with doubles play as Mobile earned victories in two of the three matches played for the doubles point. For the first time this season, Mobile's top pair of Joao Pedro Okano and Alex Verdu fell in doubles action, but were picked up by the second and third flights in the lineup. Sergio Ruiz Ramiro and Luis Perez earned a 7-5 win from No. 2 doubles on Tuesday, and were followed by a 6-4 victory from Mobile's third-seeded pair of Santiago Diloreto and Aoi Kambara.
Following doubles play, the Rams managed victories in four of six singles matches to earn the match win. Joao Pedro Okano continued his dominance on the season with a 6-3, 6-1 win from the top-seeded singles match. However, Spring Hill managed wins across the second and third flights. From the fifth-seeded match, Mobile's Santiago Diloreto came away with a 6-3, 6-1 win, while Alex Verdu earned a 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 win from No. 6 singles.
The match was eventually clinched by Sergio Ruiz Ramiro from No. 4 singles, who defeated the opposition, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
On to Postseason Play
Following the regular season finale against Spring Hill on Tuesday, Mobile is set to compete in the 2023 SSAC Men's Tennis Championship Tournament on Apr. 27-29. The tournament will be held at Lagoon Park Tennis Center in Montgomery, Ala., with Mobile earning the No. 6 seed out of six competing teams.
The Rams will face the third-seeded Wolf Pack of Loyola University on Thursday, Apr. 27 to open the tournament. Thursday's match is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT.
More details on the 2023 SSAC Men's Tennis Championship Tournament can be found HERE.
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
