The men’s tennis team met the University of North Florida and Bethune-Cookman University in Florida this weekend, and earned their first victory of the season.

While there was something missing after the meet with UNF, Bethune-Cookman left less to the imagination. The team received its first win of the season against Bethune-Cookman 5-2.

It was a tough meet on Saturday against UNF. Head Coach Nick Zieziula said the meet felt typical, and the opportunities were present, but not being able to capitalize on them proved costly.

Zieziula made mention of senior Oliver Webb and freshman Christian Kerrigan as they received their first doubles win of the season. The pair of Eagles cleared their doubles matches this weekend, which was big for the team. Junior Kyle Hoffman also played notably. In his match, the ending drops were 1-4 against his favor, but he battled back to get on the serve. Although he didn’t get to finish the match, he did a great job of keeping pressure on Bethune-Cookman.

Zieziula said that the same purpose that was present in January is still around today and the team needs to continue to improve through the semester.

With Southern Conference play nearing, the time to practice and work has never been more important, as the team faces off against the College of Charleston this weekend. In terms of looking at conference play, Zieziula notes this as a fresh start.

As the first team win of the season, it is something Zieziula is very proud of. Some of the matches this season may have gotten very negative, but the team does well at not letting them take over.

“I’m proud of the guys,” Ziezula said. They have to continue to work and step forward in the right direction. It’s been a tough schedule for the Eagles so far.

While there have been a number of losses, the team has not been getting blown out, meaning sets don’t normally go 6-1, 6-2.

“We play a tough schedule so far and we’ve given teams sprints,” Ziezula said. “It’s not like we’ve been getting blown out with 6-1, 6-2 every match. We just keep that mindset and keep working.”