Eagles back in SAC Tournament for the first time in 11 years
For the first time since 2010, Carson-Newman (7-10, 5-6 SAC) will be in the SAC Men’s Tennis Championships as they face off with the Queens Royals (13-3, 11-1 SAC) on Thursday in Sumter, S.C. from the Palmetto Tennis Center.
Video: Gabriel Dabdab Interview
SUMTER, S.C. – For the first time since 2010, Carson-Newman (7-10, 5-6 SAC) will be in the SAC Men's Tennis Championships as they face off with the Queens Royals (13-3, 11-1 SAC) on Thursday in Sumter, S.C. from the Palmetto Tennis Center. When the Eagles take to the courts, they will be the seventh seed in the 2021 SAC Tournament going up against the number two seed Royals.
For the duration of the 2021 SAC Men's Tennis Tournament, there are NO FANS ALLOWED at the Palmetto Tennis Complex in Sumter, S.C.
"I don't know if I can truly describe this feeling. When I came back for another year, this is something I've had in mind and I know Coach had it in mind," grad student Gabriel Dabdab said. "We are continuing to build this program and I think we have a strong chance to upset Queens in the first round. We just need everyone to show up and play our best."
The Eagles wrapped up their season last Thursday against the Tusculum Pioneers with a 5-2 win going to the Pioneers. Overall, the Eagles won two out of the last three at home in order to secure a spot in the 2021 tournament.
The pinnacle of C-N's success has come from sophomore Marc Janse (Zeewolde, Netherlands) in the number two singles position. For his second year as an Eagle, Janse not only has set the new school record with 13 single-season victories, but has compiled an unblemished record in SAC singles with his 11-0 mark. An Eagle had not gone 10-0 to start SAC singles action since 2010 until Janse accomplished the feat with his 10th straight win of 2021 over UVA Wise. Of his 13 wins in 2021, 11 of them have come from the number two singles spot while Janse has seen slight action from number one singles and has gone 2-2 in those matches.
"His season is something I have never seen," Dabdab said. "I've told him countless times to be proud of what he has done and he knows this team counts on him for success."
Grad student Gabriel Dabdab (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) decided to come back for one more year of C-N tennis action after having his season cut short last year. Since returning, Dabdab compiled the second-best singles record on the squad with an overall mark of 9-8 and a SAC mark of 6-5. Dabdab has played a multitude of matches from both number four and five singles. In 2021, Dabdab is better as number five singles player with a 5-2 overall record while being 4-6 when playing from number four singles.
Fellow grad student Julian Froehlich (Kobenz, Austria) is the only other Eagle beyond Janse who ended his regular season with a winning streak in tact. The Austrian finished his final regular season as 8-9 overall and 6-5 against the SAC. He is entering the SAC tournament with two straight victories over UVA-Wise and Tusculum.
Janse's double partner, junior Rintaro Oka (Narita, Japan), is the one which Janse switched positions with in singles. After taking over as number one singles player for C-N, Oka has gone 3-10 in the position compared to a 3-1 as number two singles. So, as he enters the 2021 SAC tournament with the team, Oka hopes to get back to winning ways after losing to Tusculum and seeing his SAC singles record drop to 4-7 overall with an overall 2021 record of 6-11.
Sophomore Ids Waterbolk (Bennekom, Netherlands) has been a consistency from number three singles action for head coach Jim Frederick and the team. In his 16 matches from the spot, Waterbolk is 7-9 overall to aide his 8-9 overall record and 5-6 SAC record. Waterbolk does have action from number four singles in which he won to be a perfect 1-0 from the position.
Finally, for singles, sophomore Joshua Ott (Knoxville, Tenn.) has been the season-long number six singles player for Frederick's squad. In his matches, Ott has seen an overall record of 5-12 be compiled to go along with a 3-8 SAC record. In his second year as an Eagle, Ott is 7-14 all-time.
Doubles action has seen five different pairing take to the courts at some point in 2021. The consistent pair for number one doubles has been Gabriel Dabdab and Ids Waterbollk. The duo has gone 6-5 against SAC foes and 8-9 overall. They enter the 2021 SAC Tournament after losing to Tusculum and being on a current one-match losing streak.
The more recent pairing for number two doubles has been Marc Janse and Rintaro Oka. Together, Janse and Oka has played in nine matches together with an overall record of 5-4 to their name including going 4-4 against SAC opposition. They will also look to scavenger for a win to continue the season on a high note.
Although they have both played with other teammates, Joshua Ott and Julian Froehlich ended the regular season as the number three doubles pairing for head coach Jim Frederick. When playing as a pair, Ott and Froehlich have seen a 3-6 record with a 3-5 mark against SAC foes.
Carson-Newman recently faced off with the Queens (N.C.) Royals as the programs squared off just two weeks ago from the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex in Jefferson City, Tenn. On the day, C-N was handed a devastating 6-1 defeat on their Senior Day for Dabdab and Froehlich. However, a major bright spot for the Eagles on the day was sophomore Janse collecting his ninth straight SAC win and the lone Eagles point of the day. Overall, the Royals are 7-0 against the Eagles with the closest result coming in 2015 when C-N collected three points but fell 6-3 to the Royals at home.
"We made it and the girls were top four, which means the girls would have hosted in a regular year," Dabdab said. "The fact that we are able to go together shows how much this program is growing and will continue to be a force in the conference."
The Royals concluded their regular season with a 13-3 overall record and went 11-1 in SAC play, including winning their last seven SAC matchups after losing to #1 seed Wingate on March 10.
Thursday's match will begin at 12 p.m. in Sumter, S.C. from the Palmetto Tennis Center. The winner of the Eagles and Royals will advance to Friday's semifinal between the winner of number six seed Lincoln Memorial and number three seed Tusculum.
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