Congratulations to Oxygen4Energy sponsored athletes Jeff Carlucci and Mike Placek for their 9th place finish at the recent Atlanta AVP Event.

• Match 1  - Def. John Moran and Evie Matthews 21-18, 21-13
• Match 2  - Lost Sean Scott and John Hyden 21-13, 21-17
• Match 3  - Def  Austin Rester and Jonathon Acosta 16-21, 21-15, 15-7
• Match 4  - Def  Ryan Mariano and Ed Ratledge  17-21, 21-14, 15-12
• Match 5  - Lost Matt Olson and Kevin Wong   21-18, 21-13

According to Jeff Carlucci, "The temperature in Atlanta during the tournament was an opponent in and of itself.  Fortunately having OXYGEN gave us an advantage over some of our opponents, as well as the much needed help in the longer matches to bring us to victory!  When fatigue starts to set in I relied on my Oxygen not only for my muscles, but for the mental focus needed in game three.

The match Saturday morning against Mariano and Ratledge in Atlanta was a defining moment for us, and our partnership.  Battling through adversity has been one of our strong points this season.  We have lost close matches in the last few events, which unfortunately has made the difference between success, and what what we consider to be failure.  If we continue to progress as a team you can expect great things from us in the future, and we are looking forward to proving ourselves every event!"
 

According to Mike Placek, "Atlanta was a great tournament for Jeff and I. We have lost a lot of close matches in the past 3 events so to win some tough matches in the heat out there was a great feeling.  Atlanta had a great atmosphere and fans that helped us out in every match, so that helped us stay confident and composed as well.  To beat Mariano and Ratledge (the #7 seed in the tournament) on stadium court was an awesome experience and one I will never forget.  Unfortunately in the last match we played against a team that has been red hot recently and we just could not come up with the plays late in game 1 to really make a push towards victory."