Elon Women’s Tennis Treks to UNCW on Saturday

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s tennis team looks to bounce back on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 12 p.m. when it faces the UNCW Seahawks at the UNCW Tennis Courts.

LAST TIME OUT
The Phoenix fell to 7-4 overall after falling to the No. 3-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels 7-0 on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Freshman Sofia Edo was the highlight in singles action for the Phoenix during the setback, forcing a third-set tiebreaker at the No. 6 singles position against Cassandra Vazquez.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will be the 15th time Elon and UNCW have faced each other. The series is currently tied at 7-7 after Elon picked up a 4-3 victory last season at the Jimmy Powell Tennis on March 3, 2016.

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
Sofia Edo had her six-match singles winning streak ended on Tuesday, but has a 6-1 mark early this season at the No. 6 position. Kirsten Ward and Suzanne Zenoni have been solid in doubles action with a 5-2 mark in dual match play. They have played matches at both the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.

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 UNCW
The Seahawks are currently on a four-match winning streak after defeating UNCG 6-1 on Thursday. UNCW has a 4-1 record in the spring and has earned victories over Charleston Southern, Campbell and USC Upstate this season. Its lone loss came against Coastal Carolina in the season opener. No. 1 singles player Madara Straume has a perfect 5-0 mark this season. Also, No. 1 doubles duo Annika Sillanpaa and Alix Theodossiou, as well as No. 2 tandem of Sabrina Barisano and Madara Straume, are also 5-0 to start the dual match season.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix continues its four-match road swing in Virginia on March 3 and 4. Elon will face Richmond on March 3 at 2 p.m. followed by VCU on March 4 at 10 a.m.