Owls Overcome by ODU

Saturday, April 24

Charlotte, N.C.

4 PM

Florida Atlantic

Old Dominion (Semifinals)

4/24/2021 6:41:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Florida Atlantic University men's tennis team saw their run at the Conference USA Championship come to an end in the semifinal round, falling on Saturday to Old Dominion.

Notables:

The Owls (9-11) fell behind when ODU (12-9) won the doubles point
Though both Gerard Escandell and Finn Stodder took each of their first sets, the Monarchs were on their way to multiple straight-set victories
They did so on No.4 first, though Stodder answered on No. 6, 6-4, 6-0
But then No. 3 and No. 2 went ODU's way for the win
Escandell was leading on No. 5 when his match ended, 6-2, 4-4

Quotable
Head Coach Ricardo Gonzalez:
"Always tough to go down in the conference tournament. Our team competed their tails off but today wasn't our day. Old Dominion was the better team. This year, our team dealt with a lot of challenges along the road. We became tougher and tougher with every roadblock. It is always satisfying as a coach when you see young men grow and mature through the journey. As competitors, of course winning is a priority. It is nice to look back and know that our boys are ready for life. Today we only learn and grow stronger.

"Shout out to our seniors Thomas and Max for an amazing four years. Wishing them the best of luck in their new chapter. Special thanks to our trainer Hannah who really had her hands full with our team this year. Thank you to our assistant coach Matthew for the love and passion he has for this team. You are a big part of our success. Thank you to all our donors who have made so many things possible with our program. You have changed the lives of our student-athletes. I promise the best is ahead of us and we will work our tails off to bring many championships home. Last but not least, a big thank you to our athletic department for all their support through these tough and challenging times. You guys had your hands full but never gave up on your teams. Thank you thank you thank you. Owls for life!"

Assistant Coach Matthew Lasprilla:
"Tough end to the year. We have no reason to hang our heads. We gave it everything we had today, it was just not our day. We learned a lot this year individually and as a team. We will continue to get better. I love this team and can't wait to get back on the courts with them. Great things are in store for this program."

Full Results:
ODU 4, FAU 1
Doubles
1. #60 Luca Maldoner/Nicola Vidal (ODU) def. Maxime Lapraille/Filip Krolo (FAU) 6-3
2. Younes Lalami/Francois Le Tallec (ODU) vs. Kevin Huempfner/Hunter Robbins (FAU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Tomislav Podvinski/Pearse Dolan (ODU) def. A. Fernandez Horta/Finn Stodder (FAU) 6-4

Singles
1. Luca Maldoner (ODU) vs. Maxime Lapraille (FAU) 7-5, 3-2, unfinished
2. Tomislav Podvinski (ODU) def. Kevin Huempfner (FAU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Nicola Vidal (ODU) def. A. Fernandez Horta (FAU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Francois Le Tallec (ODU) def. Filip Krolo (FAU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Younes Lalami (ODU) vs. Gerard Escandell (FAU) 2-6, 4-4, unfinished
6. Finn Stodder (FAU) def. Pearse Dolan (ODU) 6-4, 6-0