Patriot tennis extends perfect record

The FMU men’s and women’s tennis teams emerged victorious from their matches against Lees McCrae on Friday, April 1 at the John Kassab tennis courts on campus.  

The men won 6-1, bringing their record to 3-0, and the women won 4-3, raising their record to 4-0.  

Starting the men off with a 1-0 lead, red-shirt freshman marketing major Harri Lloyd-Evans won his doubles match, with his subsequent singles match victory increasing the lead to 2-0. 

“I would say that I’m confident in my game at the moment, and that really made me feel relaxed on court,” Lloyd-Evans said. “I felt that I had good momentum going into this match and thankfully it carried through.”  

Currently 10-0 in singles, Lloyd-Evans has played an essential role in the team’s success and has heavily contributed to their No. 33 national ranking.  

“I’m really looking forward to seeing how we do as a team this fall,” Lloyd-Evans said. “I believe we have a really good chance of winning the conference if we carry on with the winning momentum. I feel if I bring good energy every match then that would set a good standard for everyone, and this would give us the best chance of winning more matches.”  

Another essential win was by sophomore business economics major Liam Day, who helped clinch the match for the men. Day said he was excited about the matches to come, especially with his goal of winning the conference.  

“I feel as though the team has a common goal in mind, as well as a belief in this goal, which is to do the best we can and hopefully win the conference,” Day said. “With this goal in mind, I feel as if we come out strong in the doubles, and we have managed to win the doubles point in the majority of our matches, which sets a good tone for the rest of the match.”  

Day said he feels their current success can be carried through the regular season into the conference tournament.   

“I believe that if we stay motivated and keep up with the momentum, we can reach and achieve our goals,” Day said.  

Sophomore engineering major Adam Ernberg finished the men off with key wins in doubles and singles. Ernberg’s victories sealed the team’s win at 6-1.  

“I’m very happy about what we have accomplished so far, but we’ll still have a long way to go,” Ernberg said.  

Ernberg also has a lot of faith in himself and his doubles partner, general business major Luis Lopez Sarasa.   

“Personally, I feel that me and Luis are a very competitive team in doubles,” Ernberg said. “The chemistry works out perfectly between us, and we are constantly pushing each other to the limit every match.”  

Ernberg feels as though he has also grown in his own singles abilities.   

“In the singles, I’m feeling more are more confident,” Ernberg said. “Now, I feel that I love to compete and try to manage different match situations in comparison to last season when everything was new and just felt harder. Everyone on the team has a great attitude and motivation, so let’s keep that spirit going.”  

The members of the men’s team were not the only FMU tennis players to contribute to their team’s standing.  

Freshman business major Paige Wise increased the lead for the women to 2-0 over a decisive win at first position singles.  

“I feel really good in my game right now, especially after my big wins against Erskine and Emmanuel,” Wise said. “Winning those matches gave me even more confidence going into the end of the season.”