Wallace State's 2019 Men's Tennis teams. (Photos courtesy of Russell Moore)
HANCEVILLE, ALA. — Wallace State’s tennis teams host Marion Military Institute on Friday for their Alabama Community College Conference openers. Both matches begin at 11 a.m.
Wallace State’s men’s team has won a pair of matches thus far in 2019, beating Emory-Oxford (6-3) and Huntingdon College (9-0).
The Lions feature a young team this season with only Andrew Bizilia and Nick Hester as returning sophomores.
“Our guys work hard and are very aggressive. We have a group of mentally tough players,” said Wallace State coach Tony Franklin. “It’s a fun team to work with.”
Wallace State’s Sebastian Arce (6-0, 6-0), Ethan Aycock (6-2, 6-2), Hester (6-0, 6-1), Bizilia (6-3, 6-1), Zach Mastin (6-1, 6-0), Will Brackin (6-0, 6-1) and Matthew Ridden all earned singles wins against Huntingdon.
In doubles action, Arce and Aycock (8-3) prevailed for Wallace State as did Hester and Brackin (8-0) and Bizilia and Ben Hicks (8-0).
In the match against Emory-Oxford, Wallace State had Arce (6-1, 6-1), Aycock (6-3, 1-6, 10-7), Mastin (4-6, 7-6, 10-2) and Brackin (6-1, 6-1) earn singles wins. Arce and Aycock (8-4) and Hester and Brackin (8-5) won in doubles.
John Bertoldi, Jack Bowen and Evan Johnson round out the roster.
The men were ACCC champs during the 2017 season.
Meanwhile, the Lady Lions tennis team fell to Huntingdon last weekend.
Mary Ann Wolfe, a Jasper native, is the lone sophomore on the women’s team and she’s slated in the No. 2 singles spot behind freshman Nicole Barron.
Emily Perry (Hillcrest), Haley Putman (Hazel Green), Maggie Taylor (Vestavia Hills) Kailee Upchurch (Sardis) and Crissy Cruz (Douglas) round out the women’s roster.
“Like the men, our women are tough and aggressive. They are going to win a lot of free points off serves,” Franklin said.
Franklin and assistant coach Tim Garner are in their third seasons with the program.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit www.athletics.wallacestate.edu or the athletics Facebook page at www.wallacestate.edu/athleticsfb.
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