The Florida Atlantic University men’s tennis team defeated No. 63 Liberty by a score of 4-3 on March 28, following a schedule change that moved the match from Sunday afternoon to Saturday morning in Boca Raton, Florida.
The match was significant for the Owls as they improved their season record to 8-10, while Liberty fell to an even 9-9. The win also broke a two-year streak during which Liberty had beaten Florida Atlantic.
Ricardo Gonzalez, FAU’s director of tennis, said, “I’m proud of the way our team played today. This is a tough Liberty team that has beaten us the last two years. We competed hard and stayed composed in the tough moments.”
In doubles play, Mark Havlicek and Marek Pazdera won on court one with a score of 6-4. Vanja Hodzic and Lucca Pignaton secured another victory for FAU on court two with the same scoreline, earning the Owls the doubles point for the match. In singles action, after Liberty tied things up with a win on court three, Pazdera gave FAU back the lead by winning his match on court two (6-2, 6-4), followed by Havlicek’s straight-set victory on court one (6-3, 6-2). Jan Kusy clinched the overall win for FAU with his performance on court four (6-1, 5-7, 6-1).
The final tally saw Florida Atlantic secure four points against Liberty’s three over six singles matches and three doubles contests at Kimberly V. Strauss Tennis Center.
Looking ahead, Florida Atlantic will close out its home slate against Charlotte at home on Sunday, April 5 at 11 a.m.
