Titans Upset No. 8 Hillsborough

It wasn't just the biggest win of new head coach Jerry Thor's tenure.

It was the biggest win in the history of the Eastern Florida State College tennis team as the Titans defeated No. 8 Hillsborough Community College 5-4 in a Florida College System Activities Association Athletics Region 8 match.

"This match showed how much we have grown as a team over the recent weeks," Thor said. "When one person struggles, the next one steps up to deliver the victory."

That was certainly true in the doubles, where after losing the No. 1 match, the Titans (2-1) came back to get a pair of victories. In the No. 2 match, EFSC's Giulianna Hull and Nicole Trio saw their 7-2 lead trimmed to 7-5 before they pulled out the 8-5 victory.

The No. 3 team of Katharina Drebka and Ann-Kathrin Zilles won 8-0 to give EFSC a 2-1 lead heading into the singles matches.

Zilles beat Hillsborough's Jamie Young 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6 singles.

Trio improved to 3-0 on the season at No. 5 singles as the Titans team captain scored a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Brittani Gibbs.

Then came the clincher as Drebka knocked off Hillsborough's Gabriela Anzola-Marquez 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 1 singles match. Anzola-Marquez is ranked No 13 in the country.

"It was good to see Kathi get a convincing win over one of the top players in the country," Thor said. "She stayed focused and played solid from start to finish to clinch the match."