June 3, 2021
The ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ men's tennis team closed out the 2021 season with a No. 19 national ranking in the final Oracle ITA poll after a stellar performance at the NJCAA DI Tennis Championship in Plano, Texas. The Warriors finished the tournament tied as the 18th overall team, the third-best finish upon MACCC schools.
"I'm very proud of our guys," said ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ head coach Jay Pacelli. "We put our best foot forward with contributions from every player."
The tournament saw many last-minute changes as weather entered the area and resulted in several matches being moved to the indoor facilities at the Southern Methodist University Tennis Complex.
ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ's Chris Lawrance (York, Australia) played in the No. 1 singles draw for the Warriors. The sophomore, and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley signee, defeated Sauk Valley's Preston Engal 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round, before taking down Meridian's Matthew Tennant in the second, 7-6, 6-3. In the quarter-finals, Lawrance matched up with the No. 1 seeded Jack Clements of Cowley and fell 6-3, 6-2.
At No. 2 singles, Isaac Santitto (Innisfail, Australia) battled it out with Wallace State's Connor Coots but fell in a lengthy three-set match, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. The Alcorn State signee took on USC-Sumter's Heimanarii Lai-San in the consolation bracket but lost 8-1.
Jacob Gardner (Waynesboro) saw action at No. 3 singles and had two tough matches against USC-Sumter's Sabri Laphitz and Lake County's Houd Azhar, while Ian Gordon (Vicksburg) played a tough match with Sauk Valley's Jacob Terveer. Gordon grabbed five games, but fell 6-1, 6-4. In the consolation bracket, Gordon defeated Kaskaskia's Mitchell Gagle 9-7 before falling to ICC's Jacambrian Madlock in the semifinals, 8-5.
Steed Springfield (Vicksburg) took on Barton's Barnabas Kalaba in the opening round at No. 5 singles. After a hard-fought loss, the freshman faced Wallace State's Gage Anderson in the consolation bracket and fell 8-4.
Garrett Crimm (Mathiston) rounded out singles play with an impressive run in the No. 6 flight. Crimm Picked up a pair of three-set matches over Harford's Michael Francis (4-6, 6-0, 6-3) and Meridian's Cainan Black (6-0, 7-5, 6-4). He then faced the No. 1 seed Yassir Kilani of Tyler Junior College where he fell 6-1, 6-0.
In doubles play, Lawrance and Santitto blanked Illinois Valley in the opening round of the No. 1 flight, 6-0, 6-0. The pair then faced East Florida State, the four seed, and fell 6-4, 6-4 in a tough matchup.
Gordon and Crimm played in the No. 2 doubles flight for the Warriors and lost to Harford 6-1, 6-0 before dropping a match to Jones College in the consolation bracket.
Springfield and Samuel Turner (Mathiston) were in action at No. 3 doubles. The duo picked up a big win against Marion Military 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the first round before falling to a tough Wallace State team in the second round, 6-2, 6-2.
Overall, the Warriors had a very strong showing on the national stage and proved yet again to be a premier tennis program in the MACCC. The Warriors' impressive finish on the season continues an upward trajectory for the program under the leadership of sixth-year head coach Pacelli as ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ continues to reach new heights on the courts.
