ELON, N.C. – In the midst of a season-long six-match homestand, the Elon University women's tennis team (2-4) will play two more contests at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center this week, starting with Gardner-Webb on Friday at 2 p.m. and Shaw on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Friday's contest against Gardner-Webb will begin with doubles at 2 p.m. and conclude with singles shortly after.
• Live scoring for Friday's contest can be accessed by clicking here.
• The match Saturday against Shaw will start at 1 p.m. with doubles, with singles slated for after. 
• Live scoring for Saturday's match can be accessed by clicking here.  
• Updates throughout both matches will be provided by the program's Twitter and Instagram accounts, @ElonWTennis. 

 
THE MATCHUPS

• Elon is 14-1 all-time against Gardner-Webb and has won the last 10 matchups against the Runnin' Bulldogs. 
• Last season, the Phoenix defeated Gardner-Webb 6-1 in a match played indoors at Clemson on Feb. 12. Elon won the doubles point with a pair of 6-1 wins and then rolled in singles, winning five of six contests in straight sets. 
• The Phoenix is 7-0 all-time against Gardner-Webb at home. 
• Elon played Shaw for the first time ever last season, with the Phoenix coming away victorious 5-0 at the Simkins Indoor Sports Pavilion in Greensboro. 

 
ABOUT THE PHOENIX

• Elon is coming off a 16-7 season that included a trip to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament. 
• The Phoenix returns five players from last year's squad, headlined by Sibel Tanik and Lizette Reding, who both earned All-CAA honors in singles and doubles last season. Tanik and Reding formed a dynamic doubles duo, going 12-6 in the No. 1 position, and combined for 24 singles victories in the top three spots. 
• Also returning for the Phoenix are sophomores Helen Sarikulaya and Madison Cordisco. Sarikulaya won 12 doubles and 11 singles matches last season and earned two CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors. Cordisco also reached double-digit wins in doubles, earning 11 victories playing the Nos. 2 and 3 spots. 
• Miray Konar is also back for her second season with the Phoenix. Konar went 8-1 in 2022 playing Nos. 5 and 6 singles and added nine doubles victories. 
• New to the Phoenix this season are freshmen Simone Bergeron, Ella Suk and Mariana Reding, the younger sister of Lizette Reding. 
• Elon is led by head coach Elizabeth Anderson, who is in her 20^th season at the helm of the program. 

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Elon defeated Norfolk State 7-0 on Feb. 10 for its first victory of the season at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 
• The Phoenix won the doubles point for the second consecutive match by going 12-0 in games on Courts 2 and 3. 
• Freshmen Simone Bergeron and Ella Suk dominated for the second straight day at the No. 3 position, winning 6-0 to back up their 6-1 victory against South Carolina State on Feb. 9. Bergeron is now 2-0 on the season in doubles after making her debut against the Bulldogs the day prior. 
• Madison Cordisco and Mariana Reding clinched doubles with a 6-0 win of their own on Court 2. The duo leads the team with three doubles victories on the season. 
• On Court 1, Sibel Tanik and Lizette Reding led their match 4-2 before it was halted.
• Playing No. 6 singles for the first time in her career, Helen Sarikulaya rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Norfolk State's Isabella Cottrell. This is the first time Sarikulaya has ever won a singles match without dropping a game. 
• Next to cross the finish line for the Phoenix was Lizette Reding at the No. 2 position. The senior defeated Allesia Stan 6-0, 6-2 for the 42^nd singles victory of her Elon career. 
• In her first ever appearance at the No. 4 spot, Suk delivered the winning point for the maroon and gold with a 6-4, 6-0 triumph over Sabina-Maria Iureau. Suk has now won each of her last four completed contests across singles and doubles. 
• Shortly after Suk's win, Mariana Reding finished off a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Laura Ruiz on Court 5. Mariana's three singles wins this season are tied with Suk and sister Lizette for the most on the team.  
• Miray Konar came from a set down to earn her first win at the No. 3 spot for the Phoenix, as the junior took down Irana-Iona Iureau 5-7, 6-1, 10-3. It was Konar's second win in a match tiebreak with Elon.
• In the last match to finish on Court 1, Tanik outlasted Gabriela Davidescu 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 for her second win of the season and 41^st overall with the Phoenix. Both of Tanik's victories this season have come in match tiebreaks. 
• This was Elon's first 7-0 sweep since March 4, 2023, when the Phoenix beat Methodist at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 

 
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN

• This is the first time since the 2018-19 season Elon has three freshmen on its roster. 
• Following an impressive fall that saw her win a singles flight at the Elon Fall Invitational, Ella Suk is off to a strong start this spring. Suk is tied for the team lead in both singles and doubles victories with three in both. 
• Simone Bergeron made her spring debut last weekend against South Carolina State and Norfolk State after missing Elon's first four matches. Bergeron played No. 3 doubles on both days with Suk, going 2-0 and 12-1 in total games.  
• To read more about Bergeron's spring debut last weekend courtesy of Rising Phoenix, click here. 
• Like Suk, Mariana Reding is tied for the team lead in singles and doubles victories with three of each. The younger Reding sister has played No. 5 singles in every match for the Phoenix this season and has earned three wins playing No. 2 doubles with Madison Cordisco.

 
SISTERLY LOVE

• Freshman Mariana Reding joins her older sister Lizette, a senior, on the Phoenix roster this season. 
• Lizette has won double-digit matches in both singles and doubles in each of her first three seasons with the maroon and gold. 
• Lizette enters her final season ranked No. 12 all-time in doubles victories at Elon, while her 42 singles wins have her on the doorstep of cracking Elon's top 15 winners. 
• In all three of her three seasons with the Phoenix, Reding has been an All-CAA performer in both singles and doubles. She was also selected as the 2020-21 CAA Rookie of the Year and was Elon's MVP for the 2020-21 campaign. 
• This fall, Lizette became Elon's first ever player to reach the quarterfinals of the main singles draw at ITA Carolina Regionals. She also made it to the quarterfinals of the event in doubles with partner Sibel Tanik, as the duo became Elon's first to advance that far in the main draw. 
• Lizette was tabbed as the CAA Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Jan. 23 after dropping just one game in a win at No. 2 singles against Longwood on Jan. 19. Lizette also won CAA Doubles Team of the Week that week with partner Sibel Tanik. 
• Read more about the Redings' journey from Leon, Mexico, to Elon and their relationship by clicking here. 

 
TERRIFIC TANIK

• In her fifth year of college tennis and fourth at Elon, Sibel Tanik is up to 45 career singles victories, 41 of which have come with the maroon and gold.  
• Tanik has fought hard for both of her singles victories this season, as both have come in match tiebreaks. 
• All of Tanik's victories at Elon have come at either the No. 1 or No. 2 position, including 29 at the top spot. 
• Tanik has also registered 36 doubles wins since joining the Phoenix, the 13th most in Elon's Division I history. In the last two seasons, Tanik has paired with Lizette Reding for 25 victories at the No. 1 position. 
• Alongside Reding, Tanik earned CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors on Jan. 23 after the pair won at the No. 1 spot on Jan. 19 against Longwood. 
• Last season, Tanik earned two CAA Player of the Week awards and was named to the All-CAA Second Team for doubles and Third Team for singles. 
• In all three of her years at Elon, Tanik has registered double-digit victories in both singles and doubles. She has also been All-CAA in both singles and doubles each of the last two seasons. 

 
STANDOUT SOPHOMORES

• Back for their sophomore seasons with the Phoenix are Madison Cordisco and Helen Sarikulaya, both of whom were key contributors last year. 
• Sarikulaya has two singles victories on the season, including a perfect 6-0, 6-0 sweep from the No. 6 spot in Elon's most recent outing against Norfolk State on Feb. 10. 
• In her debut season with the maroon and gold, Sarikulaya won 12 doubles matches and was part of two CAA Doubles Team of the Week selections. She also won 11 singles contests playing the Nos. 2-4 spots. 
• Sarikulaya went 5-1 last season at No. 3 singles, while her other six wins came at the Nos. 2 and 4 spots. The freshman clinched wins for the Phoenix against Campbell and UNC Greensboro with victories in the No. 3 position.
• Through Elon's first six matches this season, Cordisco is tied for the team lead in doubles victories with three, all of which have come at the No. 2 position alongside partner Mariana Reding. 
• In Elon's most recent match against Norfolk State on Feb. 10, Cordisco and Reding clinched the doubles point for the Phoenix with a 6-0 victory. 
• Cordisco was selected to the All-CAA Second Team for doubles after going 11-5 on the season with Julie Ball and Sarikulaya as partners. She added four singles victories at the No. 2 position in 11 appearances.  
• Sarikulaya was one of two Elon players to qualify for the main singles draw at October's ITA Carolina Regionals. She won a pair of matches in the qualifying draw to advance into the main draw.  

KONAR RETURNS 

• Miray Konar is in her second year with the Phoenix after transferring to the program from Western Carolina.  
• Konar delivered her first victory of the season and first ever at the No. 3 spot in Elon's match against Norfolk State on Feb. 10, as she came from a set down to win in a match tiebreak. 
• The junior from Izmir, Turkey, was tabbed as Elon's Most Improved Player for the 2022-23 campaign after playing an important role in Elon's singles and doubles lineups.
• Konar won eight of her nine completed singles contests last season, with the lone loss coming in Elon's final match of the season. 
• In doubles, Konar posted nine wins and earned CAA Doubles Team of the Week on two occasions, both with partner Helen Sarikulaya.

 
THE ANDERSON ERA

• Head coach Elizabeth Anderson is entering her 20th season leading the maroon and gold. 
• Anderson has turned Elon into a consistent winner. Under her guidance, the Phoenix has posted 17 consecutive winning seasons, all of which have included double-digit victories. 
• In Elon's final season in the Southern Conference, Anderson led the maroon and gold to the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 2013. The Phoenix won its first Southern Conference championship that season to qualify. 
• Since joining the CAA in 2014-15 season, Elon has won at least one match in all eight of its CAA Tournament appearances. Anderson led the program to the CAA championship match for the first time in 2022. 
• Since taking over as head coach in 2005, Anderson has tallied 277 victories at Elon. Her winning percentage is 61% in 454 career matches. 
• During Anderson's time at Elon, she has had a total of 51 all-conference selections, four freshmen of the year award winners, one conference player of the year and a conference tournament most outstanding performer.
• Anderson was named CAA Coach of the Year in 2016 after leading Elon to a 14-win season and a berth in the CAA semifinals. 
• Elon has also been a strong performer in the classroom during Anderson's tenure. The program has earned All-ITA Academic Team honors in 18 consecutive seasons. 
• Anderson and the Phoenix welcome first-year assistant coach Sean Foster for the 2023-24 season. 

 
HOME SWEET HOME

• Elon is off to a 2-1 start at home in 2024, with one win a piece at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center in Greensboro. 
• The Phoenix finished last year's regular season with an 11-2 record in home matches, which included a 7-1 mark at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 
• Elon also went 2-1 last season at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center and 2-0 at the Simkins Indoor Tennis Center.
• Since its first season in the CAA in 2014, Elon has a 91-25 record and 78% winning percentage in home matches. 

 
ELON TO HOST THE 2024 CAA TOURNAMENT

• For the sixth time, Elon will host the CAA Tournament from April 24-28 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
• With the addition to Campbell to the conference this season, this will be the first CAA Tournament to feature 13 teams. 
• Elon last hosted the tournament in 2022 when it reached the league's championship match for the first time. 
• Five of the last seven completed CAA Tournaments have been hosted by Elon. William & Mary won four of those while James Madison took the other. 

 
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB

• The Runnin' Bulldogs are 1-2 on the season after falling to Western Carolina in their most recent match on Feb. 13.
• In their lone road contest of the season, Gardner-Webb fell 6-0 to Charlotte. 
• Junior Emilia Roslund has played No. 1 singles for Gardner-Webb so far this season, with sophomore Emma Shasteen playing the No. 2 spot. The two also make up Garnder-Webb's No. 1 doubles tandem. 
• The Runnin' Bulldogs are led by head coach Jim Corn, who is in his 18^th year leading the program. 

 
SCOUTING SHAW

• Shaw opens its season Thursday with a match against North Carolina Wesleyan. 
• The Lady Bears are coming off a 14-5 campaign a year ago that included a fifth consecutive CIAA Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. 

 
UP NEXT
Elon continues its homestand on Feb. 24 with an 11 a.m. matchup against CAA opponent Hampton at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.