- May 1, 2026
When the the Matanzas Pirates arrived at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs for the state tennis championships, there were some confused looks.
“Everybody there was, ‘Who’s Matanzas?’” Pirates boys tennis coach Jens Oliva said. “We were the little dark horse out of nowhere.”
They know now as Matanzas sophomore Daniel Patsula reached the Class 3A championship match in No. 1 singles, finishing as the runner-up. And the Pirates reached the semifinals of the Class 3A team championship, losing to eventual state champ Wiregrass Ranch, 4-3.
Patsula lost for the first time this season in the 3A singles final on Friday, May 1. He took Luca Torres-Sigler of Riverview Spoto to the tiebreaker third set. After winning the first set 6-4, Patsula fell in the second set 6-1. He blew out a shoe in the middle of the second set and changed to a new pair. The tiebreaker was tight with Torres-Sigler winning 10-7 to win the Class 3A title and move on the grand finals for the overall FHSAA tennis title.
After the district tournament on April 15, Ponte Vedra coach Fredo Weiland said Patsula “is the real deal,” describing his strokes as “smooth as melted butter.” Weiland said Patsula would be a dark horse at the state championships and his assessment proved prescient with the 3A final even closer than the score indicated, Oliva said.
“One rally was 27 points long,” Oliva said. “It was unreal the consistency they both have and the high-pace hitting they both have. It was a great match to watch.”
In team play, Matanzas upset No. 1 seed Orlando Innovation 4-3 on Wednesday, April 29. The Pirates won both doubles matches with Patsula and Owen Brady winning at No. 1 and Adam Stochel Polubiec and Stan Valenteychik winning at No. 2.
Patsula at No. 1 and Valenteychik at No. 3 both won their singles matches to remain undefeated on the season and clinch the team victory.
We gained a lot of respect from a lot of coaches from around the state. We put our school name out there.
— JENS OLIVA, Matanzas boys tennis coach
In the semifinals on April 30, the Pirates won both doubles matches again. Patsula won his No. 1 singles match for the other team point and also keeping him alive in the individual singles draw. But Wiregrass Ranch won the other four singles matches. Stochel Polubiec cramped up badly in the No. 2 singles match and couldn’t play like he normally does, Oliva said.
It was the first dual-match loss of the season for the Pirates. They entered the state semis on an 18-match win streak.
Wiregrass Ranch went on to defeat defending state champ Osceola 4-3 in the final on May 1.
“We were top four in the state, so we can’t complain about that,” Oliva said. “We gained a lot of respect from a lot of coaches from around the state. We put our school name out there.”
The Pirates will lose four seniors, Valenteychik, Brady, Tyler Lemmon and Daniel Faraj, all of whom have been on the team for four years and have led Matanzas to winning records every year including a 13-1 record their freshman season in 2023.
