#articleRelated { display: none !important; } The College of Charleston tennis programs will start a new era on Saturday when the teams open a brand new facility in Mt. Pleasant. The recently completed College of Charleston Tennis Center at Patriots Point will give the men's and women's tennis teams a first class complex including locker rooms, offices and lighted playing courts. The teams will hold the first unofficial match in the center with their alumni matches starting at 10:00 am. The men's team hosts the first intercollegiate competition when they take on Clemson starting at 2:00.

"We are very excited about our new home," said College of Charleston women's tennis head coach Angelo Anastopoulo, who will also serve as the director of the complex. "We hope to create as many fond memories on the new courts as we had on the Silcox courts. It is a first class facility and it has everything we could want in order to attract the highest level student-athletes. It will also hopefully allow us to take both programs to even greater heights and help attract top-notch competition to the Charleston area."

Both tennis teams captured Southern Conference titles last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The men's team finished the 2003 season at 18-4 and went 8-1 in conference play. Head coach Phil Whitesell was named 2003 Southern Conference Coach of the Year.

"We hope to use our success last season combined with this great complex to springboard both programs to greater acheivements in the future." said Whitesell. "I have played in or been to many of the nation's top collegiate tennis facilities and without a doubt this facility at Patriots Point ranks among them. It will be a huge value for the program in recruiting and also an exciting place to play for our current athletes."

The women's team captured its first SoCon title in 2003 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Cougars finished 22-4 overall and had a 19-match mid-season winning streak. Charleston was also recognized for its success off the court. The team was selected as an Academic All-American Team for the fifth straight season. For his leadership on and off the court, Anastopoulo was named South Carolina Tennis Coach of the Year by the S.C Tennis Association.

The facility will have nine outdoor lighted courts and a 3,000 square foot clubhouse with tennis offices and locker rooms. For tennis fans, it will have a two-tiered terrace that overlooks the courts for easy viewing. Instead of bleachers, spectators will sit in low-country style rocking chairs. The courts will also have computerized scoreboards that will be updated by the players during the crossovers.

The women's team starts the 2004 regular season at UNC-Chapel Hill on January 24th. The team will play their first official match in the center on February 7th versus East Carolina. Both teams kick off the SoCon season on February 14th versus Elon at Patriots Point.