ELON, N.C. – After sweeping its three-match homestand last week, the Elon University men's tennis team (5-3) will look to snap Gardner-Webb's seven-match winning streak on Thursday. The match against the Runnin' Bulldogs (7-2) will begin at 2 p.m. 
 
COVERAGE

• The match will begin with doubles at 2 p.m. and will conclude with singles shortly after. 
• Live stats for Thursday's match will not be available. 
• Updates will be provided during the match by the program's Twitter account, @ElonMTennis. 

 
SERIES HISTORY VS. GARDNER-WEBB

• Elon is 9-1 all-time against the Runnin' Bulldogs and won the only match between the teams played in Boiling Springs on Jan. 27, 2011.
• The Phoenix won its last match against Gardner-Webb 5-2 on Feb. 26, 2022, at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. Elon won the doubles point and three of the first four completed singles contests as Kyle Frankel posted the winning point.

ABOUT THE PHOENIX

• Elon is coming off a strong spring in which it went 15-9 and finished as the runner-up at the CAA Championship.
• Among the returnees is Nicholas Campbell, the Most Outstanding Player at the CAA Tournament and an All-CAA second-team singles selection.
• Others include senior Nicholas Condos; juniors Daniel Martin (All-CAA second team in singles and doubles), Luke Queiroz and Ben Zipay; and sophomore Esteban Penagos.
• The Phoenix welcomes three freshmen in Oskar Antinheimo, Veljko Krstic and Jake Pettingell. Antinheimo, from Helsinki, earned a UTR rating of 12 and has been ranked as high as No. 483 in the ITF Junior Rankings in singles play. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Krstic has been ranked as high as No. 175 in the ITF Junior Rankings in both singles and doubles. Pettingell, from Sarasota, Fla., achieved a top USTA ranking of No. 22 in the state of Florida. Elon also adds Ahmed Hosni for the spring season. A native of Cairo, Egypt, Hosni has been ranked as high as No. 197 in the ITF Junior Rankings and reached two ITF Junior singles finals in 2022.  
• Elon is led by Michael Leonard, who is in his 19th season at the helm.

LAST TIME OUT

• Elon won both legs of a doubleheader on Saturday, defeating Shaw 7-0 and Georgia State 6-1. 
• Jake Pettingell made his college debut against Shaw, as the freshman paired with fellow freshman Oskar Antinheimo for a win in No. 2 doubles. 
• Luke Queiroz made his season debut for the Phoenix against Shaw, posting victories in No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.
• Esteban Penagos picked up his first career doubles win and his first singles triumph of the season against the Bears. 
• The Phoenix won a competitive doubles point against Georgia State, as Nicholas Campbell and Ahmed Hosni clinched it with a 7-5 win on Court 3 in the last match to finish. 
• Antinheimo clinched Elon's second victory of the day with a straight sets win on Court 5 that put the Phoenix ahead 5-0. 
• Daniel Martin, Campbell and Veljko Krstic played singles in both matches Saturday. All three players went 2-0. 
• With the wins, Elon extended its winning streak to three matches and improved its record to 4-0 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 

 
DOUBLES SUCCESS

• For the second time in three weeks, Nicholas Condos and Ben Zipay were tabbed as the CAA's Doubles Team of the Week on Tuesday. The tandem previously earned the honor on Feb. 8. 
• Condos and Zipay are 4-0 this season playing No. 3 doubles. The tandem was also up 5-3 in the No. 3 spot against North Carolina on Feb. 12 before the match was abandoned. 
• In addition to the two weekly honors for Condos and Zipay, Oskar Antinheimo and Daniel Martin won Co-Doubles Team of the Week on Jan. 25. 
• Antinheimo and Martin also cracked the ITA's Top 60 Doubles Rankings on Feb. 8, checking it at No. 55. They are the first Elon team to feature in the ranking since 2017.
• Elon has won the doubles point in its last three matches with a 6-1 combined record. 

 
FRESHMAN PRODUCTION

• Freshmen Oskar Antinheimo, Ahmed Hosni and Veljko Krstic have combined for 14 singles and seven doubles wins this season. 
• Of Elon's 20 victories in Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 singles this season, 13 were registered by freshmen. 14 of the Phoenix's 31 total singles wins have been delivered by freshmen. 
• Antinheimo is currently on a six-match winning streak in Nos. 5 and 6 singles, and his six singles victories this season are tied for the most on the team. 
• In addition to his singles success, Antinheimo is off to a strong start in doubles this season, as he is 3-3 with Daniel Martin in the No. 1 spot. The Helsinki, Finland, native has already won two weekly CAA honors – CAA Co-Doubles Team of the Week on Jan. 25 and CAA Player of the Week on Feb. 14. 
• Krstic is currently on a three-match winning streak in the No. 3 position. The Belgrade, Serbia, native has two wins in final sets this season. 

 
MIGHTY MARTIN

• Martin's singles victory against Georgia State was his 23^rd since the start of last season, the most of any Elon player during that span.
• The win was his sixth at the No. 1 position, as his previous 17 wins came at the Nos. 2, 3 and 5 spots. 
• The junior is 23-6 in his singles career at Elon. 18 of the 23 victories have come in straight sets. 
• Martin is also 3-3 in No. 1 doubles this season with Oskar Antinheimo and has a team-high 16 doubles wins since the start of last season. 

 
CAMPBELL FINDING HIS FORM

• After losing his first two singles contests of the season, Nicholas Campbell has won five of his last six to improve his record to 5-3 on the season. 
• Four of Campbell's victories have come in the No. 2 spot with the other coming at No. 4. 
• The senior, who finished last season on a five-match winning streak and won three matches in the CAA Championship, has won 10 of his last 13 singles bouts. 
• Alongside doubles partner Ahmed Hosni, Campbell has also posted two victories that clinched a doubles point for the Phoenix, most recently against Georgia State. 

 
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB

• After starting the season 0-2, Gardner-Webb has won its last seven matches and has posted a 4-0 mark at home. 
• The Runnin' Bulldogs defeated UNC Greensboro 6-1 in their most recent match on Sunday. 
• Eduardo Dias and Alex Lepine are 7-1 at Nos. 1 and 2 singles this season, respectively. Kim Niethammer is also 8-1 on the season playing No. 6 singles. 
• The Runnin' Bulldogs have tallied a 35-15 record in singles this season. 
• Gardner-Webb is led by head coach Mike Griffith, who is in his 21^st year with the program. 

UP NEXT
The Phoenix returns home to Jimmy Powell Tennis Center for matches against Hampton on March 4 and Wofford on March 5.