Elon Phoenix at Coastal Carolina & USC Upstate

Date | Time	CCU: Monday, March 19 | 3 p.m. USCU: Wednesday, March 21 | 2 p.m.
Location	CCU: Steven Tennis Complex (Conway, S.C.) USCU: USC Upstate Tennis Complex (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Series Record	CCU: Elon leads 5-1 USCU: USC Upstate leads 3-1
Last Meeting	CCU: April 1, 2017 | Coastal Carolina, 5-2 USCU: Feb. 13, 2016 | Elon, 5-1
Live Stats	Click Here (CCU)
Twitter	@ElonMTennis | @ElonPhoenix | @ElonScores

 

---

ELON, N.C. – Starting a stretch with five of its next six away from home, Elon University men's tennis will travel to South Carolina for the first two matches of the run to face Coastal Carolina on Monday, March 19, and USC Upstate on Wednesday, March 21. First serve against CCU is set for 3 p.m. and opening serve against USC Upstate is slated for 2 p.m.

THE SERIES
Elon lead the all-time series against Coastal Carolina 5-1, but last season marked the first loss for the Phoenix against the Chanticleers when CCU beat Elon 5-2 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on April 1. Against USC Upstate, the Spartans lead the series 3-1, but Elon took the last meeting between the two on Feb. 13, 2016, by the score of 5-1. 

LAST TIME OUT
Elon picked up a fourth-consecutive win last time out on Saturday, March 17, with a 6-1 home victory over VCU. Elon opened the day with doubles wins at Nos. 1 and 2, to clinch the point, then continued to roll in singles with Felipe Sarrasague, Mario Paccini and Kyle Frankel winning at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, to lock up the win. Closing the day, Salvador Mijares and Felipe Osses-Konig both took tight three-set matches at Nos. 4 and 6. 

ON A ROLL
Going back to Saturday, March 3, Elon has won four in a row against the likes of UNCW, Winthrop, Navy and VCU. The streak is the longest of the season to date and has helped Elon move to 9-5 on the year after starting 3-4. 

COACHING MILESTONE
Head coach Michael Leonard now holds an all-time record of 205-126. The 14th-year coach of the Phoenix, he earned his 200th victory Sunday, Feb. 18, in a 7-0 home victory over former Southern Conference rival Appalachian State. A six-time conference coach of the year since becoming the leader of the Phoenix program, Leonard has guided Elon to five conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances, the latest coming in 2014. He has led Elon to conference tournament semifinal appearances in each of the last five seasons. 

DOUBLES DUOS
In doubles, Felipe Sarrasague and Salvador Mijares are 8-3 together playing primarily at No. 2 doubles. Elon's top duo of Neal Port and Mario Paccini are 6-2 on the year together. No other Phoenix pair that has played together multiple times is better than .500. 

SINGLES SUCCESS
Through 13 matches, Felipe Osses-Konig is 9-4 with a 6-1 mark at No. 6 to date. Playing anywhere from No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6, Camilo Ponce is 8-6 on the spring season and Felipe Sarrasague is 9-4 with seven consecutive victories, all at No. 1 and No. 2. 

VETERAN LEADERSHIP
Elon lost just two players from last years team and returned five of its top six singles players from 2017 in Felipe Sarrasague, Mario Paccini, Salvador Mijares, Felipe Osses-Konig and Jacob Bicknell. In all, Elon returned 79.8 percent of its 2016-17 singles victories with Sarrasague, a First Team All-CAA Singles honoree, leading the way at No. 1 singles with 21 wins a season ago. 

FRESH FACES
Elon added freshmen Kyle Frankel and Camilo Ponce ahead of the 2017 fall campaign. The two posted strong fall season with Frankel going 9-3 in singles and Ponce 7-3. The pair have added solid depth to Elon's rotation as it looks to win its first conference tournament title since claiming the 2014 Southern Conference crown. 

UP NEXT
Following the two matches in South Carolina, Elon will return home for one match against Davidson on Wednesday, March 28. FIrst serve against the Wildcats is set for 3 p.m.