West Palm Beach, Fl. – The College of Coastal Georgia men's tennis team made a positive impression at the September ITAs, which was hosted by Keiser University from September 24th through the 27th. The Mariners, competing against elite competition from the Sun Conference, won games, sets and matches, establishing a strong foundation for this fall season and beyond against a number of nationally-ranked teams and nationally-seeded players.
 
Among other performances, sophomore Geronimo Gonzalez advanced to the round of 16 in singles play. He and junior Leonardo Ciriaci also made the round of 16 in doubles. In addition to his success in the tandem pairing, Ciriaci won a first round singles match as well. Junior Pierre-Emmanuel Kassubeck notably made his return to the court after a two-year hiatus from college tennis action. Junior Max Kirmayr likewise earned high praise for his play. 
 
"I think the men are on a very good trajectory. We played tough matches against really tough opponents and really rung a bell throughout our conference that we're not the Mariners of old, that this is a new breed. Some of which, Zack (Rogers) started way back when he was coaching. We're bringing that culture back, in terms of the competitiveness and the tenacity to pull off some of these upsets. We're really close," CCGA head coach Courtney Rutherford explained. "Definitely see the things that we need to improve on. All of the guys leaving this tournament have come back extremely motivated and ready to put in the extra work that it is going to take to get over that hump. I definitely see us pulling off many upsets going into next year. As we bond together, stronger than ever as a team, especially starting off with this trip, we will continue to do so throughout the fall and getting ready for our spring season."
 
On his run to the singles round of 16, Gonzalez turned heads, ultimately losing to the 2^nd-seeded Piero Fernandez of Southeastern in three sets.
 
"Geronimo really showed some leadership, some super, super tough fight, taking a 2nd-seeded player in the tournament to a third set. We see where we can improve, it's not like that was his best tennis. It's my job to help him improve and to keep on this course. He's motivated to continue to develop and that's what will do," Rutherford added. "We'll develop and build this championship culture that the Mariners will have."
 
Coastal Georgia will return to action the weekend of October 10th, at home to host the HP Tour.