ELON, N.C. – Prior to Southern Conference action starting this weekend, the Elon University men’s tennis team will take on Ivy League opponent Brown University tomorrow, Feb. 28, at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center in Greensboro, N.C.
KEEP TRACK OF THE PHOENIX: Friday’s match from Greensboro can be tracked by following @elonscoreson Twitter, or by clicking here for live stats.
ELON vs. BROWN: The Phoenix and Bears have never met prior to tomorrow’s meeting, but Elon has played four matches against fellow Ivy League schools. Last season, Elon defeated Dartmouth at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center by a score of 4-3. The Phoenix has also taken on Princeton twice and Yale in 2004.
ELON IN THE POLLS: The latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national polls were kind to the Phoenix, as Elon jumped seven spots to No. 40 in the country. The mark is a season high for Elon, as it has jumped 24 spots from its preseason ranking of No. 64. The 24-spot increase is tied for the ninth-best increase thus far. Utah has also jumped 24 spots from No. 75 to No. 51. Cameron Silverman also sits tied for No. 26 in the country with Shane Vinsant of Texas A&M.
LOOKING BACK: Last time out in Wilmington, N.C., the Phoenix fell on hard times against then-No. 51 UNC Wilmington. In the 7-0 defeat, both Stefan Fortmann and Brian Kowalski battled into third set tiebreakers in singles, but both players came up on the short end to drop their respective matches.
SILVERMAN HONORED: The senior was honored by the Southern Conference when he won SoCon Player of the Week on February 18. Silverman has picked up wins this season against Duke’s Jason Tahir, who was ranked No. 52 in the nation individually while Duke was No. 7, in Elon’s upset of the Blue Devils on January 17, Samford’s Elliot Barnwell and UNC Asheville’s Daniel Kripak.
KOWALSKI HONORED: Kowalski became the third Elon athlete throughout the 2013-2014 academic year to be named the Southern Conference Student-Athlete of the Week on Jan. 22. The honor came after Kowalski won the decisive match against No. 7 Duke, one that gave Elon the upset of the Blue Devils on Jan. 17.Nathan Dean of the men’s soccer team, Sam Coffer of the women’s basketball team and Frida Jansaker of the women’s tennis team are the other three Elon athletes to earn the award.
TRY AGAIN: After Elon’s match scheduled for Feb. 12 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center against Campbell due to snow and ice from Winter Storm Pax, the two teams have agreed on a new date to play the match. The Fighting Camels will now visit Elon on March 12 at 2:30 p.m.
LOOKING AHEAD: Elon turns around quickly following its contest with Brown as Southern Conference play opens Saturday, March 1, at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center against Chattanooga. The Phoenix swept the season series with the Mocs, winning 5-2 on the road March 23 and taking a 4-1 victory in the SoCon Tournament semifinals 4-1 on April 20. Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams are partnering with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation on Saturday to help raise awareness of pediatric brain tumors. Donations to the cause can be made here, as the teams are striving to raise $300 this weekend.