March 25, 2008
Complete Weekly Release in PDF Format 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After a week at home against Florida schools, the USC Upstate tennis team will take the show on the road to Florida this week, with the men looking to improve on their 4-1 conference record with matches at 8-7 North Florida on Friday and at 2-9 Jacksonville on Saturday. The women, meanwhile, will look to stay perfect in the Atlantic Sun when they hit the road to face 7-9 North Florida on Friday and travel to Jacksonville, which is an undefeated 4-0 in the A-Sun on Saturday. Wrapping up the weekend, the women will face No. 41 South Florida on Sunday, the first ranked team the Spartan women will play this year.
Setting The Mark
Head coach Alessandro De Marzo won his 58th career women's match to set the USC Upstate women's tennis program record on Saturday afternoon as it downed FGCU, 7-0. De Marzo, in his fourth year as head coach, broke the mark set by his predecessor, Tami Matheny, who won 57 matches from 1998-2004. De Marzo is currently 58-23 (.716) in his four seasons at Upstate. In his first three years, De Marzo led the Spartans to three straight NCAA Division II appearances.
Super-Novo
Already holding the school record for singles wins in a season, junior Anna Novo now has her sights set on setting the school record for combined (singles and doubles wins). She enters the week just one win shy of breaking the record of 44 set by senior Susana Hernandez in 2006-07. The Venezualen junior has 24 singles wins and 20 doubles wins with freshman partner Emilia Milovanovic. Novo passed the record set by herself and senior Diana Martinez, set by each with 22 wins in 2006-07. Novo broke the record for singles wins in a season against Stetson on March 14.
Renzo's Roll
Sophomore Renzo Airaldi is quickly nearing the school record of 27 singles wins set by James Homan during the 1991-92 season. Airaldi, who plays No. 3 singles for the Spartans, currently has an overall record of 24-6, just three wins away from the record. A 2007 Division II All-American as a doubles player, Airaldi saw action in just seven singles matches as a freshman, winning six, making his rise to the top of the Spartan lineup this season one of the most pleasant surprises on the team.
It's Always Better To Share
Junior Leandro Osorio is just one doubles win away from becoming the fifth men's player in school history to reach 50 in a career. Osorio, who with senior partner Sebastian Gonzales-Orbegoso, have moved into the No. 1 doubles slot, has posted an impressive 48-18 career doubles record. He could join Gonzales-Orbegoso (52), Diego Sist (50), Jose Luis Reyes (63) and Stefan Dumitrescu (72) in the club.
Leaving Their Mark
Seniors Diana Martinez and Susana Hernandez continue to leave their marks as the winningest players in the program's history, as Martinez won her 130th career match and Hernandez her 120th against Florida Gulf Coast on March 22. Hernandez won her 60th career match with a 6-1, 2-0, retired win at No. 2 singles. She is the second player in school history to reach 60 singles wins along with Martinez and she also joined the 60-doubles-win mark in the game, also joining Martinez in that club as the only players in school history to do that. Martinez posted a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles for her 130th career win (68 singles, 62 doubles) to become the first player in school history to reach that mark.
Sophomore Extravaganza
The USC Upstate men's team lineup is not just already one of the most successful in school history, it is also still incredibly young. Four players currently in the starting six in singles are still just sophomores, yet each of them is already in the top 20 in school history in singles wins. Sophomore Jack Roux, who is currently playing at the No. 2 slot, leads the way with 32 wins, which is 17th in the school record book. Renzo Airaldi, who is currently at the No. 3 slot, is 19th with 30 career singles wins. Arnaldo Lovera and Javier Tori are nipping at the other two players' heels with 29 wins, which is tied for 20th in school history. Airaldi is currently chasing the school record for singles wins in a season of 27 to lead the pack, but both Roux and Tori have added have both won 15 matches this year and Lovera, hampered by injuries, has won nine.
