Elon Releases 2018 Women’s Tennis Schedule

ELON, N.C. – Elon University women’s tennis released its 2018 schedule today, Dec. 6, as announced by head coach Elizabeth Anderson.

2018 SCHEDULE

The Phoenix is scheduled to play 24 matches, which includes 13 matches at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. The first three home matches fall in January, the next three are in February, five home matches are slated in March and the final two regular season matches will be played in the month of April.

For the third-straight season, the CAA Tennis Championships returns to the campus of Elon University and is scheduled for April 19-22 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.

Elon has an experienced team returning as seven of eight players are back from the 2017 team that won 18 matches and reached the semifinals of the 2017 CAA Championships. Among those returning includes 2017 CAA Second Team All-Conference selections Erica Braschi and Olivia Lucas. The Phoenix also added two newcomers as Montana Moore and Mia Wallaceboth joined the team in the fall. Moore arrived as a transfer from Tyler Junior College.

Here are five things to know about the Elon women’s tennis schedule:

THE COMPETITION
Elon has a schedule in which it faces three teams ranked by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) during the 2017 season and five matches will be against teams that earned a trip to the 2017 NCAA Women’s Championship: Furman, Duke, Winthrop, Wake Forest, and Massachusetts (UMass).

The Phoenix also has two matches slated against ACC opponents in Duke and Wake Forest. The Phoenix will hit the road to face Duke on Jan. 24. The Blue Devils reached quarterfinals of NCAA Championships last season and was ranked as high as 10th by the ITA. Wake Forest earned an at-large bid into the 2017 NCAA tournament and was ranked as high as 23rd last season.

Out of the five 2017 NCAA Championship participants the Phoenix will face, Elon hosts three tournament participants as Furman comes to town on Jan. 21 and UMass will play at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on March 14. Matches against Duke (Jan. 22), Winthrop (Feb. 23) and Wake Forest (March 4) will all be on the road.

CONTINUING IN THE COLONIAL
The 2017 season will be Elon’s fourth as a member of the CAA. The Phoenix faces three teams – UNCW (March 10), College of Charleston (March 31) and James Madison (April 14) – from the CAA during the regular season. Those matches do not count as conference matches since there is no league play in the CAA.

Elon finished with a record of 18-8 in its third season in 2017, including a 5-2 mark against CAA teams. The Phoenix earned the No. 2 seed in the CAA Championships and advanced past seventh-seeded Towson in the quarterfinals before falling to third-seeded UNCW in the semifinals.

FIRST-TIME OPPONENTS
The Phoenix will face Troy on Feb. 10, UMass on March 14 and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) on March 15 for the first-time in program history.

FAMILIAR FOES
Elon will face 12 common opponents from last season: (North Carolina A&T, Furman, Duke, Meredith College, Winthrop, Davidson, North Carolina Central, UNCW, UNCG, College of Charleston, East Carolina and Richmond).

The Phoenix faces East Carolina (April 5) for the seventh straight season and the 18th time in the last 19 seasons. Elon will take on former Southern Conference foe Davidson for the 16th consecutive season. The maroon and gold will also face UNCG for the ninth time and for the eighth straight season.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN
The Phoenix will face several opponents that they have in the past. Elon faces Liberty for the first time since 2016 and the seventh time since 2000. The Phoenix will take on Wake Forest for the first time since 2015 and the sixth time since 2000. Former Big South foes will clash on April 9, as the Phoenix will face Charleston Southern for the first time since the 2007 season.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix opens the 2018 season on Saturday, Jan. 13, hosting a doubleheader against North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Wesleyan.