Looking to build on its victory against the Mercer Bears on Sunday, the Rattlers tennis team will travel to Jacksonville to compete against the North Florida Ospreys Saturday afternoon at the UNF Tennis Complex.
The match will begin at noon.
Sunday, the Rattlers (5-2) defeated the Bears by a 5-2 margin.
Florida A&M’s co-captain, Salif Kante, said the team is well prepared for its upcoming match.
“We are ready to play,” Kante said. “Having matches back to back especially helps. That helps us gain our confidence. We are confident and we believe we can do anything.”
Kante said the match would be his next opportunity to prove that he can lead his team to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship this season.
“I try to lead the team with pep-talk and just try to help them,” Kante said. “We want to win all of our matches and since we have been playing big teams, going to the MEAC is going to be easier.”
Because the Ospreys are an established team, teammate Fabrice Myrtil said this match would be a challenge, but he still has confidence in the team.
“I am expecting this match to be a tough match,” Myrtil said. “It’s down to the wire. UNF has been ranked nationally once before. They are a solid team.”
Myrtil continued, “We still have opportunities to be ranked nationally and to come out on top in the MEAC. We definitely have what it takes to beat UNF.”
If the Rattlers win, it would be Myrtil’s first victory against UNF since he joined the team.
“We lost last year 5-2, and now we are looking for redemption,” Myrtil said.
Supporters of the team said they are anticipating a Rattlers win during Saturday’s match.
“Those are some of the strongest players in the nation, I believe,” said Mc’Cowen Fleurant, a senior tennis player at Godby High School. “For these guys to be going up against the best of the best just shows the greatness in the Rattlers. I know they can win this game hands down.”