Flagler Palm Coast follows Five Star Conference boys tennis championship with sweep of Matanzas

The Bulldogs girls also won 7-0 against the Pirates and were runners-up at the Five Star tournament.

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Fresh off its Five Star Conference championship, the Flagler Palm Coast boys tennis team swept Matanzas 7-0 on Monday, March 11, at the Pirates’ tennis courts. The Bulldogs’ girls team also blanked the Pirates 7-0.

The FPC boys improved to 6-1 with their only loss coming to Spruce Creek in their season-opening match. But they beat Spruce Creek 19-15 at the Five Star tournament on March 7-8 at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach. FPC players advanced to the final in every spot, winning five of seven final matches, including four against Spruce Creek players.

“We were missing a player (in the match against Creek on Feb. 7). We finally got all our guys back in the right spots,” FPC tennis coach Javier Bevacqua said. “We may see (Spruce Creek) again at districts and region, so we haven’t finished writing that chapter yet. But if all goes well and we stay healthy, we should have a deep run.”

FPC’s Five Star Conference champs were Adam Stochel Polubiec at No. 2 singles, Alex Berenblit at No. 3, Joshua Thorpe at No. 4, Aaron Lieberman at No. 5 and Berenblit and Thorpe at No. 2 doubles.

The FPC girls finished second to Creek at Five Star, 21-13. The Bulldogs advanced to five of the seven girls finals. Creek players won all seven finals.

Four of FPC’s five girls singles players and four of the team’s five boys singles players are freshmen and sophomores. Matanzas is also young with six freshmen and sophomores among their top 10 boys and girls.

Bulldogs freshman Andrew Shkotkin beat Pirates sophomore Stan Valenteychik at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-2. Shkotkin and Stochel-Polubiec defeated Valenteychik and Owen Brady, 8-0 in No. 1 doubles.

When Shkotkin was 12, he was ranked No. 1 in the state and 14th in the nation by Tennis Recruiting. But after recovering from an injury, he said he took a break from tournament play.

“There were not many people to practice with,” he said. “But I definitely want to get back into it. I’m still not anywhere near my best level.”

FPC sophomore Marina Carlisi defeated Mia Hale at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-1, and teamed up with Tatian Leontyeva at No. 2 doubles to defeat Hale and Olivia Rabbatt 8-1 in No. 1 doubles.   

Carlisi, who is also one of FPC’s top volleyball players, was the Bulldogs’ No. 3 singles player last year.

“The competition is a lot better at No. 1,” she said. “But I’d say I’m definitely holding up against those players.”

Also winning for FPC against Matanzas in the girls match were Maya Swierczynski (No. 2), Leontyeva (No. 3), Trista Rife (No. 4) and Aasi Bharucha (No. 5) at singles and Swierczynski and Ania Martynuk at No. 2 doubles.

FPC’s other boys winners at Matanzas were Stochel-Polubiec, Berenblit, Thorpe and Lieberman at singles and Berenblit and Thorpe at No. 2 doubles. 

 

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