Men’s and women’s tennis fall short in opening conference matches

While most Lipscomb students were on spring break, the men’s and women’s tennis teams were hard at work starting Atlantic Sun Conference play. The men’s tennis team started off their spring break with a strong 6-1 win over the University of North Alabama on March 18 at home. The Bisons won two of the three doubles matches to get the winning point, and in singles action, the Bisons dominated. Sophomore Rob Mitchell, freshman Alejandro Manzanares, freshman Philippe Courteau, junior John Tougher and freshman Thais Minet all won their singles matches outright. Following the dominating performance over North Alabama, the Bisons looked to take the momentum into their first conference match against the University of North Florida on March 19. However, the men fell short in their first conference outing. The men lost 4-1 with the only singles victory coming from Mitchell, and the team did not win a doubles point. While the men were busy with their week, the women’s team was just as hard at work. The women started off the week on March 17 against Western Kentucky hoping to get a win before conference play, but the team fell short, losing 4-3. The Lady Bisons hoped to make a quick turnaround from the loss when they also took on UNF at home on March 19, but they fell 4-0 to the Ospreys. Freshman Hannah Gamage and junior Danielle Kinnen won the only point for the Lady Bisons. The duo won their doubles match 8-0, and the Lady Bisons did not win a singles point. Both the men and women are back in action on Saturday, March 21. The women travel to...

Men’s and women’s tennis split Saturday matches

The Lipscomb men’s tennis team beat Ball State 4-3 Saturday evening while the women’s tennis team lost to Columbus State 5-2. Despite cancellations and freezing temperatures, both the men and women pushed hard and played their game indoors. The men’s team came from behind to get its win against Ball State. The Bisons’ top seed, freshman Rob Mitchell, took a 6-1 and 7-5 win at the beginning of singles. The three spot, freshman Philippe Courteau won 6-4 and 7-5. A big win for the Bisons came from sophomore John Tougher. Tougher won in three sets, 6-3, 3-6 and 6-3. In the women’s match, Columbus started by taking the doubles point against Lipscomb. Junior Danielle Kinnen and freshmen Hannah Gamage were able to win one point in the doubles matches out of three. The singles matches were up and down for each team, but two of the Lipscomb ladies were able to pull out a win. Sophomore Laura Kent secured Lipscomb’s first singles point by winning two quick-paced sets in a row, 6-3 and 6-2. Senior Jenny Borck also played an aggressive singles match that landed with a win 6-3, 4-6 and 10-6. “I started off slow, but I ended up holding it together and coming back both times and pushing through on the ten-point tiebreak,” Borck said. Borck played against a quick-paced competitor that led both the sets, but she was able to come back and take the point. “She was a really good matchup for me because I am really consistent and she is also really consistent,” Borck said. “She likes to mix up her shots and so do I....

Bisons set for big weekend at Vanderbilt

The Christmas season is over, and now spring season sports are back in full swing at Lipscomb with competition already underway. To start off the season, track and field and men’s tennis will both be traveling to Vanderbilt over the weekend. Men’s tennis has added four new players to its roster, enabling them to participate in their main season with a full team. Coach Mario Hernandez is excited for the next few months and believes that the bright, new players will bring a fresh dimension to the team. “There are a lot of things we have to get used to, especially being such a young team,” Hernandez said. “From what I have seen at practices, the guys are pumped to play and I can see that they are hungry to start this season.” Freshman Philippe Courteau has his eyes set on a victory. “This is my first collegiate match and I am excited to compete with these guys as a new Bison,” Courteau said. “I have waited two years for this moment since I began looking to play for a University, and I am ready to get out there and hit balls against some of the top men in the country.” The match begins on Jan. 16  at 5 p.m. at Vanderbilt’s indoor courts. The Commodores are standing at no.19 in the country, with one of their players in the top 10 when the NCAA rankings were revealed at the beginning of January. The rankings have given the Bisons some momentum, and they are looking for an upset. “The boys are coming into this competition as the underdogs, we have respect for this...