DALTON – In ABAC's inaugural season in the Southern States Athletic Conference, there have been many "firsts" to celebrate. Wednesday, it was the women's tennis team's turn to celebrate.
 
The Fillies won their first match against a Southern States Athletic Conference opponent, defeating the Tennessee Southern Firehawks 4-3. The win is especially impressive since the Fillies only have five players, meaning they must forfeit one singles match and one of the three doubles matches each time they play. Despite those forfeits, ABAC won four of the five singles matches played as well as one of the doubles matches to claim the victory.
 
In singles play, ABAC got wins from their top four players. Number one Kitti Nemeth defeated Otone Odajima 6-0, 6-4 while Johanne Genestay easily won at number two, defeating Justine Azarake 6-1, 6-0. At number three, Tereza Sikorova beat Natalia Vergara 6-7, 5-1, 6-4 and, at number four, Eva Swiderek topped Sienna Ruburto 6-2, 7-5. In the number five match, ABAC's Lorena Orsi lost to Yen-Ju Chang 6-0, 6-0.
 
In doubles, three matches are played and the team winning the most receives one point. ABAC won at number two doubles as the team of Nemeth and Orsi beat Roburto and Vergara 6-1. At number one, Swiderek and Genestay lost to Chang and Odajima 6-3 while forfeiting the third match to lose the doubles point.
 
On the men's side, ABAC lost 5-2 with two close matches that could have changed things dramatically. The Stallons won at number one singles as Ryan Neveu beat Luis Santana 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (7), while Luka Blache defeated Daiki Ishii at number two 6-0, 6-4. Thibaut Blanchart fell at number three to Ryosuke Furuya 6-2, 6-2 and Benjamin Ranby-Al lost at number four to Nick Rosa 6-2, 6-2. One of the nailbiters came at number five where ABAC's Maximilian Marquard lost to Gaspar Audisio 6-3, 6-2, 1-0 (7). At number six, Matthew Rodgers lost to Felipe Dias 6-2, 6-2.
 
In doubles, the Stallions' lone win came at number one as Neveu and Blache beat Rage Matuck and Santana 6-2. But UT Southern got wins at number two as ABAC's Marquard and Ranby-Al lost to Rosa and Dias 6-4 while the Stallions' Blanchart and Rodgers lost to Furuya and Audisio 6-3.
 
Both teams will return to conference action Friday when they play Blue Mountain Christian in Montgomery, Ala. The teams will stay in Montgomery for a Saturday match as well, taking on the University of Mobile.