ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s tennis team is set for a string of three matches, beginning with a home contest against Delaware on Thursday, March 31, at 2 p.m. The Phoenix will face James Madison on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Towson on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. in Harrisonburg, Va.
LAST TIME OUT
The Phoenix (7-9) rallied from a 3-0 deficit, and Erica Braschi came back from 3-4 and 4-5 deficits in her decisive third set at No. 2 singles to clinch Elon’s 4-3 victory over the College of Charleston on Monday, March 21, at the CofC Tennis Center at Patriots Point.
BRASCHI ON A ROLL
Erica Braschi leads the team with 10 singles wins this season. After her heroics against Charleston, Braschi earned CAA Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honors for the first time. She is currently on a six-match winning streak in singles play. The sophomore has played primarily at No. 2 singles, but saw action at No. 1 for one match in a win against N.C. Central.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The Delaware Blue Hens are 8-4 overall this season and have won two of their last five matches. In its last match, Delaware fell on the road at James Madison 6-1 on March 29. Prior to that, the Blue Hens earned a 4-3 victory over St. Joseph’s on March 23.
James Madison has won five straight and own a 13-4 record heading into Saturday’s match against the Phoenix. They earned a 6-1 victory over Delaware on March 29 in its last match.
Towson is 8-6 overall this season coming off a 7-0 sweep of Hofstra on March 26. The Tigers will face Davidson on Saturday before facing the Phoenix on Sunday in Harrisonburg, Va.
SERIES HISTORY
The series history has started recently for the Phoenix against all three opponents this season. Thursday’s matchup against the Blue Hens will be the first time the two schools have met. In the first meeting between Elon and James Madison, the Phoenix earned a 4-3 victory on March 21, 2015. Elon and Towson have only met once with the Phoenix defeating the Tigers 4-0 in last season’s CAA Women’s Tennis Championship quarterfinals on April 17, 2015.
UP NEXT
After a three-match stretch, Elon will hit the road and face East Carolina on Friday, April 8, at 2:30 p.m. The Phoenix will then return to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center for Senior Day on Saturday, April 9, against South Carolina State at 1 p.m.
HEAD COACH ELIZABETH ANDERSON
Elizabeth Anderson is in her 12th season as head coach of the Phoenix. Anderson has led Elon to four straight seasons of 15 or more wins and guided the program to its first NCAA Tournament in 2014.
2016 CAA TOURNAMENT
Elon was selected to host the 2016 Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, which will be held April 21-24 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and the Burlington Tennis Center. It will mark the first-ever CAA Tournament hosted by the Phoenix and first conference tournament hosted by the program since the 2013 SoCon Tournament.