Florida A&M’s men’s tennis team kicked off its head-to-head weekend road trip with a 6-1 victory over Alcorn State in New Orleans.
“This match was one of our easier matches,” said Michael Moore, a senior from Orlando. “Everybody did their part and executed in key significant moments.”
Following a challenging start, the Rattlers are 4-0 in their last four matches.
“The team as a whole played pretty consistent,” coach Carl Goodman said. “Throughout the match they executed well in significant moments and closed out the match strong, getting us another good win.”
“We still have some improvements and adjustments to make before the end of the season but overall we are a pretty solid team.”
Alcorn State holds the No. 2 spot in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), an HBCU athletic conference.
“Beating them showed how much of a power house we are in HBCU tennis,” Goodman said.
The Rattlers kicked off the tournament strong by taking the doubles point, winning the first two sets.
Earlier in the season, Goodman noted that the doubles team needed to work on communication and execution, and the team has done that. The twosome won its last four matches.
Goodman is happy with the progress his players have made. He hopes to see more improvement throughout the season and in the upcoming tournaments.
“During the doubles, my partner Levan Clark and I beat Alcorn State 8-2,” Moore said. “For me that was a highlight moment and a great triumph.
The Rattlers went head to head with Alcorn State in the singles, sweeping sets 1-5 but came up short to Alcorn in the final match.
Unfortunately for Alcorn State, it wasn’t nearly enough to get the victory. The Rattlers continued their winning ways with their fourth-straight win of the season.
“Today’s match was routine,” Chidi Gabriel said. “It was a match we should’ve won. Everything went smoothly, we played as a team throughout the entire match.”
Despite illness and fatigue, the team has consistently contended with some of the top teams in the Southeast. With back-to-back weekend matches since the beginning of the season, the Rattlers have managed to keep their momentum going as they prepare to reclaim their MEAC championship title.