CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Elon University women’s tennis team will look to avenge an earlier loss this season against Furman tomorrow, April 18, in the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament when the No. 4 Phoenix and top-seeded Paladins face off in a 2 p.m. match at the Champions Club.
LOOKING BACK: Playing for the second time in one week, the Phoenix swept UNC Greensboro, 4-0, in today’s quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament. In the match, the Phoenix did something it could not do a week ago: Win the doubles point. This time around, Elon took the doubles point in convincing fashion from the Spartans, as Jordan Johnston and Barbora Lazarova won 8-0 on court No. 1 and Frida Jansaker andMaria Camara Ruiz earned an 8-2 victory on court No. 2. From there, Elon kept the foot on the gas pedal in beating the Spartans to advance to the semifinals.
In the match, Jansaker picked up her team-leading 15th win of the season while Lazarova followed close behind in picking up her 14th win of the season.
ELON vs. FURMAN: Tomorrow’s meeting will be the 16th time Elon and Furman have met on the tennis courts with the Paladins holding a significant 13-2 advantage in the all-time series. Last season, Elon ended Furman’s 12-0 run to start the series with a 5-2 victory in the regular season, then beating the Paladins again in the SoCon Tournament on the way to the finals. Earlier this season on March 21, Furman scratched out a 4-3 win against the Phoenix at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
SCOUTING THE PALADINS: Furman earned the No. 1 seed in the SoCon Tournament the same way the Elon men’s team did: By going 9-0 throughout the regular season in conference play. Ansley Speaks was named Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year this season while the Paladins placed two others on the conference’s all-freshman team while the pairing of Katherine Oudin and Alex Moreno-Kaste earned first-team all-conference doubles honors and Speaks and Blair Martin were named to the second-team all-SoCon. Of the last 16 SoCon Tournaments, Furman has come away with 10 titles while taking home 12 of the last 16 regular season titles.
LOOKING AHEAD: A win tomorrow against the Paladins would put Elon in the finals on Saturday, April 19, against either No. 2 Samford or No. 3 Chattanooga. The match would be at 2 p.m. at the Champions Club.