Elon Tennis Set to Battle Hofstra in CAA Quarterfinals Friday Morning

ELON, N.C. – Carrying a three-match winning streak into the CAA Tournament, second-seeded Elon University is set to battle seventh-seeded Hofstra in the CAA Quarterfinals on Friday, April 21, at 11:30 a.m. at the Burlington Tennis Center.

CAA TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Friday’s match times have been slightly altered with inclement weather in the forecast for the afternoon hours. Initially scheduled to play at 1 p.m., Elon’s match has been pushed up to 11:30 a.m. and will follow the 8:30 a.m. matches at the Burlington Tennis Center. To visit CAA Tournament Central for more information, click here.

ELON’S CAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Making its third appearance in the CAA Tournament, Elon is 2-2 with a pair of semifinal appearances. Back in 2015, the Phoenix bowed out to tournament host and third-seeded William & Mary, a 4-1 loss in Williamsburg, Va. Last year, Elon dropped a heartbreaker to second-seeded College of Charleston in the semifinals, 4-3. This marks the second time in three years Elon has been the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Last year, it owned the No. 3 seed.

LAST TIME OUT
Elon picked up a third-straight win with a 4-0 sweep of UNCG in Greensboro, N.C. The match started with singles and Elon won four straight-set contests to earn the win. Felipe Osses-Konig picked up his second 6-0, 6-0 win in three matches with the win over Jack Burkill while Salvador Mijares, Mario Paccini and Jacob Bicknell each finished off their opponents to cruise to the victory.

SERIES HISTORY
The Phoenix and Pride have met once before with Elon earning a 4-0 victory over Hofstra in last year’s CAA Quarterfinals. In the match at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center, Mario Paccini earned Elon’s first point before Robert Lindgren picked up a second to make it 2-0. Felipe Sarrasague then won and Petar Tomic finished the sweep at No. 5.

SCOUTING THE PRIDE
During the regular season, Hofstra posted a 9-15 record. Entering the tournament, it has dropped four of its last five matches with the lone win a 7-0 triumph over Saint Peter’s University. Against fellow CAA opposition, Hofstra lost 5-2 to James Madison and Drexel. It took down Delaware back on April 1 on the road, 4-3.

FIVE IN A ROW
With last Friday’s win at East Carolina, Elon has now won double-digit matches each of the last five seasons. Elon currently stands at 11-11 this season. With a win Friday, it would guarantee at least a .500 record on the campaign. With three matches left in the regular season after falling to Winthrop on Senior Day, the Phoenix stood at 8-11.

DOUBLES SUCCESS
Elon is 13-8 when it comes to winning doubles points this season. Though it started with a 2-4 doubles record in the first six matches, the Phoenix has rebounded nicely in winning 11 of the last 15 doubles points. Salvador Mijares and Neal Port have played a big role in the success, winning each of their last 11 matches and owning an 12-2 record on the season across Nos. 2 and 3 doubles.

CAA HONORS
Elon has earned a plethora of weekly CAA awards this season. Most recent awards include a sweep on March 21 with Petar Tomic earning Player of the Week and Salvador Mijares and Neal Port taking Doubles Team of the Week. It was the second sweep of the awards for the Phoenix after Felipe Sarrasague won Player of the Week and Tomic and Chris Humphreys earned Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 15. In the middle of the two sweeps, Sarrasague also earned Player of the Week on March 8 after a win over No. 64 Jack Findel-Hawkins of North Florida and Tomic and Humphreys won Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 22.

HEAD COACH MICHAEL LEONARD
Winner of the 2016 CAA Coach of the Year award, Michael Leonard is now in his 13th season as Elon’s director of tennis and head men’s tennis coach. Leonard is a five-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year and has led Elon to five conference championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances, the last coming in 2014. He has won 193 matches to date as the leader of the Phoenix.

NEXT TIME OUT
Should Elon move on, it would battle the winner of No. 3 William & Mary and No. 6 Drexel. That match is slated for 10 a.m. at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on Saturday, April 22. Earlier this year, Elon hosted William & Mary and took the Tribe down with a 5-2 win back on Feb. 11. The Phoenix and Dragons have met once before in the 2015 CAA Tournament. That year, Elon beat Drexel 4-0 in the CAA Quarterfinals in Williamsburg, Va.