- April 25, 2024
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There’s a first time for everything. And for the Matanzas Pirates boys tennis team, this is one of those good kinds of firsts.
Matanzas defeated Stanton Prep, 4-3, on Thursday, qualifying for the state tournament for the first time in school history.
“It feels good to beat Stanton, especially after they knocked us out of regionals the past two years,” Matanzas coach Rich Cottingham said Friday morning. “We're a much stronger team this year, but we still knew it was going to be tough to be them at their place.”
Davey Roberts won convincingly at the No. 1 singles after him and Nick Petrillo took No. 1 doubles.
The match — and a state tournament berth — came down the Petrillo and Henry Lao in the Nos. 2 and 3 singles spots.
Petrillo was able to come back and win in the third set super tiebreaker. Lao also won his match after making his opponent run all over the court — clinching the win for Matanzas.
“It was fun to watch,” Cottingham said. “It was a little nerve-racking, but they stepped their games up when we needed them the most, and I couldn't be happier for them. I knew we were going to have a tough team going into the year, but I didn't expect this.”
With the win, the boys advance to the FHSAA state tournament, which will be Monday and Tuesday, at Sanlando Park, in Altamonte Springs.
Matanzas 4
Stanton Prep 3
SINGLES
Singles Roberts (Mat) def. Kirby, 6-0, 6-1; Petrillo (Mat) def. McCaully, 4-6, 6-1, 10-2; Lao (Mat) def. Lepore, 6-1, 6-2; Choudary (SP) def. Harrington, 6-0, 6-1; Nash (SP) def. Cadre, 6-0, 6-0
DOUBLES
Roberts/Petrillo (Mat) def. Kirby/Choudary, 6-1, 6-2; McCaully/Lepore (SP) def. Lao/Harrington, 6-0, 6-4
