ELON, N.C. – As the Elon University men's tennis team walked off the courts on Tuesday afternoon, every player in the maroon and gold – especially those new to head coach
Michael Leonard's program – felt a sense of joy.
"It feels great to win for me and for the boys," junior Juan Sengariz said.
After dropping three matches in a row to begin the spring season – two of which came against top-25 ranked opponents – Elon was looking for its first win of the season in its home opener. With four new additions to the program last offseason, there were still those, such as Sengariz, who were hungry to get their first individual and team win going into the tilt against South Carolina State.
The Phoenix dominated the doubles point in which Daniel Martin and graduate student transfer
Dylan Heap quickly won 6-1, followed soon after by
Oskar Antinheimo and freshman
Jack Curtis' 6-2 victory to clinch the first point of the afternoon.
As the match went on, victory screams and shouts were heard across the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center as the Phoenix clinched early on, dropping just one set across all the matches played.
Sengariz finished his singles match first with an impressive 6-0, 6-2 performance at the No. 4 spot. While Heap finished second to last at No. 5 in a tightly contested matchup, he ensured he would not be the reason the Phoenix would let a potential sweep slip away, thanks to his 6-4, 7-6 (4) win.
The two newcomers' victories mark their first-ever singles wins in Elon uniforms. Heap said now that he has the first win under his belt, he can finally relax.
"I feel like I've broken a streak and the pressure's a bit off me now," Heap said.
Sengariz patted Heap on the back and smiled before sharing a moment with his teammates, as he said he was happy to see his friend get his first win.
Unbeknownst to the two new additions, the Phoenix victory also meant Elon's winning streak in home openers played at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center remained intact and extended to 14 straight years. Leonard's squads have not lost a season debut at the JPTC since the 2010 campaign.
"I wouldn't want to be the guy or the team that loses that streak," Sengariz laughed.
While Heap said there were some hesitations due to Mother Nature at the outset of the afternoon, his anxieties soon washed away once the Phoenix was on its home courts for the first time all year.
"I speak in kilometers per hour, so for these American viewers, I don't know what that is in miles, but it was very windy," Heap, the New Zealand native, said. "It was definitely tough at the start. But it felt really good to be home."
'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.
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