Elon Women’s Tennis Phoenix Begins Homestand Saturday Against Towson

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s tennis team kicks off a three-match homestand on Saturday, Feb. 11, with a 1 p.m. match against Towson at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.

LIVE SCORING

Elon is 2-0 this season at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center after earning a doubleheader sweep of North Carolina A&T and Radford on Jan. 16.

LAST TIME OUT
The Phoenix fell to 4-3 on the season with a 4-3 loss to Furman in Greenville, S.C., on Feb. 4. Olivia Lucas, Maria Paraja and Alex Koniaev each picked up three-set singles victories to earn points for Elon.

SERIES HISTORY
Elon has faced Towson each of the past two seasons, winning 4-0 decisions in both matches. The win over the Tigers last season was Elon’s fifth straight during a nine-match winning streak that ended with a loss in the CAA Tournament.

NEWCOMERS
Elon welcomes a pair of freshmen – Alex Koniaev and Sofia Edo – to the team in 2017. Koniaev joined the team this past fall and Edo was a late addition in January. Knoiaev was rated a four-star recruit by the Tennis Recruiting Network and achieved her career-high national ranking of No. 73 in 2016. Edo comes from Argentina, where she won eight national tournaments at the junior level.

EARLY SUCCESS
Alex Koniaev is off to a 5-1 start in singles play, while Sofia Edo is a perfect 3-0. Koniaev is 4-0 at the No. 5 position and all three of Edo’s singles wins have come at the No. 6 spot. In addition, Natalia Janowicz (2-1), Olivia Lucas (4-2), Maria Paraja (4-2) and Suzanne Zenoni (4-3) have positive singles records.

HEAD COACH ELIZABETH ANDERSON
Elizabeth Anderson is entering her 13th season as head coach of the Phoenix. Anderson earned her first-ever year accolade, after she was named the 2016 CAA Coach of the Year. She has led Elon to five straight seasons of 14 or more wins and guided the program to its first NCAA Tournament in 2014.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Saturday’s match marks Towson’s first of the spring season. The Tigers return eight players from last year’s team, including three who picked up CAA honors. Claire Bedi joins the team as a transfer from Campbell.

UP NEXT
After hosting Towson, Elon remains home to face USC Upstate on Friday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m. at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.