Elon Women’s Tennis Heads to Duke for Road Doubleheader

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s tennis team is back on the road this week for a doubleheader against No. 10 Duke and Meredith College on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at Duke’s Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. The Phoenix faces Duke at 3 p.m. followed by Meredith College at 6:30 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be Elon’s second meeting in the program’s Division I era against the Blue Devils as No. 16-ranked Duke won the contest last season, 7-0, on Jan. 20, 2016. The matchup against Meredith College with be the third meeting since Elon became a Division I program. Elon is 2-0 all-time in those meetings.

EARLY SUCCESS
Elon (3-1) has seen some success early on this season, as Alex Koniaev is 3-1 in singles action and 1-0 in doubles thus far. Maria Paraja is also 3-1 in singles and owns a 2-1 mark in doubles. So far, Elon is 9-2 in doubles action and 18-6 in singles in dual-match play.

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.

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 OPPONENTS
Duke, who is ranked 10th in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, opens its 2017 campaign against the Phoenix. Duke has three players in the ITA’s top-125 singles rankings in Meible Chi (14), Chalena Scholl (34), and Kaitlyn McCarthy (76). Meredith College, a member of Division III’s USA South conference, also begins its spring season versus Elon.

UP NEXT
Following Wednesday’s doubleheader, the Phoenix continues its four-match swing away from home on Feb. 4, against former Southern Conference rival Furman. The match will start at 10 a.m.