The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AS the collegiate tennis season progresses, Bahamian players Sydney Clarke and Jacobi Bain produced some outstanding performances for their respective teams over the weekend in two different locations in the United States.

On Saturday in their latest outing, Sydney Clarke led the University of Arlington Blazers ladies’ tennis team past Birmingham in an impressive 7-0 victory over University of Tennessee Martins.

With the win, Clarke and the Blazers improved their win-loss record to 4-3 after they secured their last four matches.

Clarke, teaming up with Maggie White, won their doubles match 6-1 over the pair of Sina Albersmeier and Jule Streif, while she breezed through her singles in 43 minutes with a 6-1, 6-0 decision over Amelia Campbell.

“Overall, all of us played well. All of us won our matches,” Clarke said. “In doubles, we improved tremendously since we started playing together, so that was very good.

“In my single matches, I had to concentrate more on mental toughness and I felt I did a great job on that. On the technical side, I was more aggressive as I attacked the ball and I was more aware of where I was on the court.”

While she’s holding court, the former CR Walker Secondary High student who went on to graduate from Windsor School where she played in the Albany Tennis Academy, said she’s just as excited about what she is doing in the classroom.

Clarke and UAB will close out the month on the road against Jacksonville State on Saturday, February 19 and Lipscomb on Sunday, February 20 before they face South Alabama on Saturday, February 26.

The Blazers’ next home match at UAB will be played on Tuesday, March 1 when they host North Alabama at George Ward Park.

“Going forward, I just hope that we all as a team will remain focused and be prepared for conference,” she said. “I feel we’re getting it together each week, learning new things and learning more about each other. “So as a team, I think we’re growing and as an individual, I’m getting much better with my game style and what I need to do to get better as we move forward.”

The Blazers will close out regular season play on Saturday, April 16 against Middle Tennessee before they prepare for the Conference USA Championships April 21-24 in Tennessee. The 20-year-old Clarke, who stands at 5-feet, 5-inches, is the daughter of Shayvon and Bernard Clarke and has a younger sister, Sarai Clarke, who also plays tennis at the Webb High School in Tennessee.

Bain successful in New Orleans

As they put on a good showing in their clean sweep of their seven matches, Jacobi Bain was just as impressive, winning all six of the matches he played for the Xavier University of Louisiana over the weekend against Loyola at the XULA Tennis Center in New Orleans.

Bain, who is having a fantastic season for the Gold Rush men’s tennis team, said he felt he played very strongly in doubles and singles, although he admitted that his last match was the toughest of all.

“I feel very good. I’m very confident in my game right now,” he said. “I feel I’m in a very good position.”

With a little more work on his second serve, Bain said he feels he will be able to play at a much higher level the rest of the season.

They are on the road on Thursday for a match against Georgia where he expects to play his “best” and to “help the team succeed.”

The Gold Rush men’s team is currently 3-1 and will play their regular season through to March 9 before they get ready for the NAIA Unaffiliated Tournament in April and the NAIA Championships in May.