Elon Women’s Tennis Set to Host USC Upstate, Davidson This Weekend

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s tennis team looks to build on its perfect 3-0 record at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center with a pair of weekend matches against USC Upstate and Davidson.

The Phoenix will face USC Upstate at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, and Davidson on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 12 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Phoenix improved to 5-3 with a 6-1 defeat of Towson on Feb. 11. Elon dropped the doubles point and responded by winning five of six singles matches in straight sets to win its third straight home match.

SERIES HISTORY
Elon is 4-0 against USC Upstate dating back to 2010. The Phoenix picked up a 6-1 victory against the Spartans last season.

The Phoenix has faced Davidson 15 times since 2003, amassing a record of 6-9. Elon had won six straight matches over the Wildcats before losing 4-3 last season.

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 improved her singles record to 4-0 with a 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 win against Towson at the No. 6 position. Olivia Lucas and Alex Koniaev extended their singles winning streaks to three matches with wins against Towson. Overall, the Phoenix is 33-15 in dual-match singles contests this season.

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
USC Upstate is 1-6 this season, with losses to College and Charleston and UNC Wilmington of the CAA. The Spartans will face Appalachian State on Thursday, Feb. 16, before traveling to Elon.

Davidson comes to Elon with a record of 5-1. The Wildcats only loss came at Tennessee on Feb. 3.

UP NEXT
After facing USC Upstate and Davidson, Elon hits the road for four matches, beginning with a matchup against North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Feb. 21 at 2 p.m.