ELON, N.C. – With an upset of then-No. 7 Duke University and an overall 10-3 record this season, the Elon University men’s tennis has achieved a program-best ranking in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national polls of No. 39, as released by the ITA office today, March 18.
The No. 39 ranking breaks the previous program-best mark of No. 40 when Elon earned the ranking last month on Feb. 25.
Elon extended its winning streak to six last weekend with a 4-3 victory on the road Friday, March 14, against Winthrop and a 4-2 win Sunday, March 16, in Greensboro, N.C. against the Radford Highlanders.
The Phoenix’s last loss came Feb. 24 in Wilmington, N.C. in a 7-0 sweep at the hands of the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. Since, the Phoenix hold a 3-0 mark in conference play with a 7-0 sweep of Chattanooga, a 7-0 sweep of Samford and a 6-1 victory against Davidson while beating Brown, Winthrop and Radford. The three nonconference matches came either on the road or at a neutral site.
Along with the national ranking, a few Elon players have been recognized for their success on the court in taking home four of the five Southern Conference Player of the Year awards. Cameron Silverman won the first award of the season issued by the league office on Feb. 18, then Jordan Kaufman earned the honor two weeks later on March 4. In the last two weeks, Stefan Fortmann has won the award. In that stretch, the junior holds an overall record of 7-0 in singles and doubles.
The four SoCon Player of the Week awards are also a program-best for a single season, breaking the mark of three set in 2005 and 2007.
The Phoenix will return to action Sunday, March 23, on the road for the first time in conference play against The Citadel. The match in Charleston, S.C. is set for 1 p.m.