The Florida A&M men and women’s tennis teams were both victorious against Alabama State University on Friday.
Both the men and women’s teams are trying to overcome slow starts.
Temuera Asafu-Adjaye, a senior pre-physical therapy student from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, said the men’s team is accustomed to the slow starts.
“We had slow starts in past seasons,” he said. “It is a trend we are trying to break, but at the moment, we are just looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Head men’s tennis coach Carl Goodman said there are other areas of concern.
We have to just close matches,” Goodman said. “We did it today, but we have to do it more consistently.”
The Rattlers (2-5) won 6-1, led by Cheikh Salif Kante, a public relations student from Dakar, Senegal, and reigning MEAC Player of the Year. Kante leads the MEAC in singles with a 7-0 record.
The Lady Rattlers (1-2) also claimed a 6-1 victory in their first win of the season after losing to Florida State University and the University of Central Florida.
Elysia Ortiz, a sophomore pre-physical therapy student from Augusta, Ga., said it felt good to be home.
“I think we implemented the stuff we been practicing at, and it was good to have a home win,” she said.
The women will play back to back Friday and Saturday against Hampton University at 3:30 p.m. and Florida Atlantic University in Daytona Beach. Saturday’s time has not yet been determined.
The men will play back-to-back matches against the University of South Florida in Tampa on Saturday at noon and Stetson University in DeLand on Sunday at 1 p.m.