ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's tennis returns home looking to build on its three-match winning streak and big victory over Clemson last week, when it hosts defending Big South Conference champion Campbell on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
 
THE SERIES
Elon is 8-1 all-time against Campbell. Tuesday's match is the fourth meeting in five seasons and the third consecutive year the Phoenix and Camels will meet. Elon won 6-1 last year on the road in in Buies Creek, N.C.  

SCOUTING CAMPBELL
Campbell, the reigning 2018 Big South Champions, are off to a 1-2 start this season. The Camels opened the season with a doubleheader at VCU on Jan. 18 and opened with a 6-0 victory against CAA foe Drexel. Campbell would then split the doubleheader with a loss to VCU. In its last match on Jan. 20, the Camels lost 7-0 at NC State. Campbell was picked to repeat as league champions in the 2019 Big South Preseason Poll. Campbell returns seven players from last season's championship team led by head coach David Johnson who enters his 21st season at the helm of the Campbell men's tennis program. Dustin Werner headlines the returners after being named the Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year and to the First Team All-Conference in singles and doubles. 

ABOUT ELON
Elon has been rolling and is currently on a three-match winning streak since its season-opening 4-3 loss to Duke on Jan. 12. The Phoenix is coming off its first win over an ACC program since 2014 after defeating Clemson 5-2 on Jan. 29. This season, Elon returns the 2018 CAA Player of the Year and three-time First Team All-CAA honoree Felipe Sarrasague, as well as Second Team All-CAA honoree Mario Paccini. The Phoenix returns an experienced squad that includes five upperclassmen, led by seniors Sarrasague, Paccini, Felipe Osses-Konig and Taylor Foote. Junior Jacob Bicknell rounds out Elon's five upperclassmen. Kyle Frankel and Camilo Ponce are Elon's lone underclassmen heading into the 2019 season. Elon, which posted a 16-8 dual-match record and ended its season in the 2018 CAA Championship semifinals, also earned a No. 9 spot in the final ITA Carolina Region poll for the second time in the last three seasons.

OSSES-KONIG NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Felipe Osses-Konig was named the CAA Player of the Week on Wednesday, Jan. 30, for his 4-0 singles record during the opening month of the season, while leading the Phoenix to a 3-1 start to the 2019 campaign. During that stretch, Osses-Konig rolled at the No. 3 singles position during Elon's 5-2 win at Clemson on Jan. 29 and also earned a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jason Lapidus of Duke at the No. 5 position on Jan. 12.

THE SARRASAGUE SPECIAL
Felipe Sarrasague was named the 2018 CAA Men's Tennis Player of the Year in 2018,  becoming the fourth player in Elon's Division I era – all of which have come in the last six seasons – to earn conference Player of the Year. A 20-match winner in 2017-18, Sarrasague posted a combined record of 20-11 since the start of the fall campaign. Fourteen of those victories came during the spring season with 12 of them coming at the No. 1 spot. During the year, Sarrasague put together an eight-match winning streak and while he lost eight matches this spring, three of the defeats came to nationally-ranked opponents. In doubles action, Sarrasague contributed 15 victories.

SINGLES SUCCESS
During the 2018 season, Elon went 84-51 during dual-match singles action, winning 62.2 percent of its contests. Felipe Sarrasague led the team with 14 wins, while Kyle Frankel tallied 13. Sarrasague duplicated his freshman and sophomore success, taking 11 victories at the No. 1 spot while Fränkel won 12 matches at No. 3 and was 8-2 in his last 10 individual matches. Mario Paccini also had great success, winning 12 matches on the year with 10 of those wins coming at No. 2 and the other two at No. 1 singles. He, Camilo Ponce and Felipe Osses-Konig were tied for third on the team with 12 individual wins.

FRESH FACES
Elon University head men's tennis coach Michael Leonard announced the signing of Dino Bonetta (Rijeka, Croatia) and Maxwell Zucker (Dallas, Texas) for the 2019 season on Saturday, Jan. 5. Bonetta joins the Phoenix program as a transfer from the University of Detroit Mercy. Zucker arrives from Parish Episcopal High School in Dallas, Texas.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix heads to Houston, Texas, Feb. 9-10, to face off against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and Rice. Elon will face the Islanders on Saturday at 1 p.m. eastern time and the Owls on Sunday at 12 p.m. eastern time.