Saturday, February 4
Durham, NC - Dr. James W. Younge Tennis Courts
3:00 PM
College of Charleston
at
North Carolina Central
Photo by: CofCSports.com
Men’s Tennis Opens Season with Three Matches in Two Days
2/3/2017 12:59:00 PM | Men's Tennis
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston men's tennis team begins its quest to repeat as CAA Champions in grueling fashion this weekend, as the Cougars are slated to play three matches over the course of two days in the state of North Carolina.
The College formally begins its season on Saturday at 3 p.m. against NC Central. They then head to Charlotte to face off with Queens University at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday before wrapping up the weekend later that day against NC A&T at 4 p.m.
The Cougars come off a a 19-7 season in 2015-16 that featured a CAA Tournament for the ages. After dispatching James Madison 4-1 in the opening round, the Cougars drew host school Elon in what would become an instant classic. With the match tied 3-3, it all came down to the second flight matchup between Rodrigo Encinas and Mario Paccini. Not only did that match go to a third set, but that third set required a lengthy tiebreak to decide things, setting up Encinas' dramatic 7-6(14) win to advance CofC to the finals with UNCW. That set up yet another match that went the distance to 4-3, and this time it was Juan Estevarena propelling the Cougars to the championship with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Santtu Leskinen.
The Cougars feature a new look after graduating five players from last season's squad, who include mid-flight specialists Charlie Ghriskey and Zack Lewis, sixth flight option Garrett Gordon, and doubles specialist Josh Record. In their place, the College added five freshmen, as well as Norfolk State transfer Benedikt Henning. Head coach Jay Bruner will likely have to experiment with his lineup combinations a bit before he finds as this sizable batch of young talent vies for position.
Of the three teams on the docket for this weekend, the College has only faced NC A&T previously during the Jay Bruner coaching era. That matchup came last season in a 7-0 sweep by the Cougars. The Aggies finished 3-13 last season.
NCCU meanwhile is 0-2 to start the season following losses to East Carolina and Presbyterian. Queens meanwhile has not yet started its Spring schedule, but will do so Saturday against Mars Hill. The Eagles went 4-13 last year, while the Royals put together a 15-4 year, winning the South Atlantic Conference Tournament before falling to Armstrong State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The College formally begins its season on Saturday at 3 p.m. against NC Central. They then head to Charlotte to face off with Queens University at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday before wrapping up the weekend later that day against NC A&T at 4 p.m.
The Cougars come off a a 19-7 season in 2015-16 that featured a CAA Tournament for the ages. After dispatching James Madison 4-1 in the opening round, the Cougars drew host school Elon in what would become an instant classic. With the match tied 3-3, it all came down to the second flight matchup between Rodrigo Encinas and Mario Paccini. Not only did that match go to a third set, but that third set required a lengthy tiebreak to decide things, setting up Encinas' dramatic 7-6(14) win to advance CofC to the finals with UNCW. That set up yet another match that went the distance to 4-3, and this time it was Juan Estevarena propelling the Cougars to the championship with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Santtu Leskinen.
The Cougars feature a new look after graduating five players from last season's squad, who include mid-flight specialists Charlie Ghriskey and Zack Lewis, sixth flight option Garrett Gordon, and doubles specialist Josh Record. In their place, the College added five freshmen, as well as Norfolk State transfer Benedikt Henning. Head coach Jay Bruner will likely have to experiment with his lineup combinations a bit before he finds as this sizable batch of young talent vies for position.
Of the three teams on the docket for this weekend, the College has only faced NC A&T previously during the Jay Bruner coaching era. That matchup came last season in a 7-0 sweep by the Cougars. The Aggies finished 3-13 last season.
NCCU meanwhile is 0-2 to start the season following losses to East Carolina and Presbyterian. Queens meanwhile has not yet started its Spring schedule, but will do so Saturday against Mars Hill. The Eagles went 4-13 last year, while the Royals put together a 15-4 year, winning the South Atlantic Conference Tournament before falling to Armstrong State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
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