ELON, N.C. – Winners of three straight matches, the Elon University men's tennis team (3-3) welcomes Gardner-Webb to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on Thursday. The contest is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Doubles will lead off the match starting at 2 p.m. with singles to follow shortly after.
• Live scoring for the match will be available and can be accessed by clicking here.
• Admission to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center is free. 
• For live updates throughout the match, follow @ElonMTennis on Twitter and Instagram. 

 
THE MATCHUP

• Elon leads the all-time series with Gardner-Webb 9-2. This will be the fourth straight season the teams have met.
• The Runnin' Bulldogs defeated the Phoenix 6-1 last season in Boiling Springs. 
• Nine of the 11 meetings between the teams have been contested at Elon. The Phoenix is 8-1 in those matches. 
• The Phoenix has won each of the last three home matchups between the teams. 

 
ABOUT THE PHOENIX

• Elon is coming off a 15-9 season in the spring and its second consecutive appearance in the CAA championship match. 
• Headlining Elon's returners from last season is Daniel Martin, who earned CAA Player of The Year and CAA Tournament MVP honors in the spring. Martin posted an 18-6 singles record in 2023 with all 18 wins coming at the No. 1 spot. 
• Elon also returns reigning CAA Rookie of the Year Veljko Krstic, who racked up 16 singles victories in his freshman season. 
• Back for his senior season is Ben Zipay, who took home Third Team All-CAA Doubles honors in 2023. Zipay also won 12 singles contests.
• The other returner for the Phoenix is sophomore Oskar Antinheimo, who took home a CAA Player of the Week and two CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors as a freshman. 
• Elon welcomes four newcomers in 2023 – Dylan Heap, Juan Sengariz, Jack Curtis and Alonso Roca. Heap is a graduate student who played last season at Rice and Sengariz joins the Phoenix after spending the last two seasons at Anderson. Curtis and Roca are both freshman this season.
• Elon is led by head coach Michael Leonard, who is in his 20th season leading the program. 

LAST TIME OUT

• Elon ended UNC Asheville's seven-match winning streak with a 6-1 victory over the Bulldogs at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on Feb. 18. 
• The Phoenix won its third straight doubles point to grab the early momentum. 
• A day after clinching a dramatic doubles point against Campbell, Elon's No. 1 duo of Daniel Martin and Dylan Heap picked up another victory against the Bulldogs. The pairing won 6-2 for a third consecutive win together. 
• Oskar Antinheimo and Jack Curtis teamed up to win 6-3 on Court 3 and clinch doubles. It was their team-best fourth win of the season together. 
• Ben Zipay and Juan Sengariz led 5-3 at the No. 2 spot when their match was halted. 
• Through the first three matches of Elon's five-match homestand, the Phoenix is 6-1 in completed doubles contests. 
• Playing the No. 5 spot for the first time in his freshman campaign, Jack Curtis rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Rafa Serra to put the Phoenix up 2-0. Curtis is tied with his doubles partner Antinheimo for the most singles wins on the team this season (5). 
• Following a Bulldogs win on Court 1, Daniel Martin responded with a 6-1, 6-3 victory against UNC Asheville's Freddy Murray on Court 2. It was Martin's second win of the season and his first at the No. 2 spot. 
• For the second straight day, Antinheimo delivered the winning point for the Phoenix with a win on Court 3. The sophomore defeated Jon Brann Reid 6-3, 6-4 for his fifth singles win of the season, three of which have come at the No. 3 position. 
• On Court 6, Ben Zipay rallied in the final set for his first singles win of the season. Zipay won the first set but dropped the second and trailed 4-1 in the third. In his first outdoor singles match of the season, Zipay erased the deficit by winning six of the final seven games to beat Cian Ingles 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. 
• Seconds after Zipay completed his comeback, his doubles partner Sengariz capped off a valiant comeback of his own on Court 4. After losing his opening set to Tarek Erlewein, Sengariz did not drop a game in the second to force a decisive match tiebreak. Sengariz fell behind 8-6 but stayed the course before eventually squeaking out a 14-12 victory. The junior has now won each of his last three singles matches.

 
SENSATIONAL SENGARIZ

• On Tuesday, Juan Sengariz earned a CAA weekly honor for the second consecutive week, becoming the first Elon player since 2017 to do so.
• After a 3-0 week playing No. 4 singles in Elon's 3-0 week, Sengariz was tabbed as the CAA Player of the Week. 
• In Elon's home opener against South Carolina State on Feb. 13, Sengariz defeated Vanja Petrov 6-2, 6-0 in the first match to finish. Against CAA foe Campbell on Feb. 17, Sengariz was again the first player to finish in singles with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Tomas Balazi. Finally, in Elon's victory over UNC Asheville on Feb. 18, Sengariz came from a set down to defeat Tarek Erlewein 5-7, 6-0, 14-12 as the Phoenix ended the Bulldogs' seven-match winning streak.
• The honor backs up his CAA Doubles Team of the Week recognition last week with partner Ben Zipay after the duo won at No. 3 doubles against then No. 25 North Carolina on Feb. 8.  
• Sengariz is the first Elon player to win a CAA weekly honor in consecutive weeks since Petar Tomic and Chris Humphreys won CAA Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 15 and 22, 2017. 

 
DAN THE MAN

• In Elon's 3-0 run last week, Daniel Martin picked up his first two singles and three doubles victories of the season. 
• Playing No. 1 doubles alongside Dylan Heap, Martin went 3-0, including a crucial 7-5 victory to clinch against Campbell on Feb. 17.
• Martin also won at the No. 1 singles spot against South Carolina State on Feb. 13 and the No. 2 position against UNC Asheville on Feb. 18. 
• Last season, Martin racked up several prestigious CAA honors in his second year with the program. 
• Martin became the third Elon player to be named CAA Player of the Year, joining Stefan Fortmann and Felipe Sarrasague, who took home the award twice. 
• After going 3-0 in singles at the CAA Tournament, Martin was also chosen as the Most Outstanding Player of the event. This was the first time since 2019 that Elon took home both CAA Player of the Year and CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the same season. 
• Martin was also named to the All-CAA First Team for singles after posting an 18-6 record, with all 18 wins coming at the No. 1 spot. He won his final six singles contests, four of which came against conference opponents. 
• Since coming to Elon, Martin is 37-13 in completed singles contests. 
• In addition to his accolades on the court, Martin was also selected as Elon's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received the CAA's 2022-23 Leadership and Sport Excellence Award for men's tennis. 

 
SUPER SOPHOMORES

• Sophomores Oskar Antinheimo and Veljko Krstic have been steady producers throughout their Elon careers and are off to strong starts in their second seasons with the Phoenix. 
• Krstic went 2-1 in his three singles matches a week ago, winning both in a final set. He is 3-0 this season playing the No. 2 position. 
• As a freshman last season, Veljko Krstic became Elon's first player to win CAA Rookie of the Year and was also named to the All-CAA Second Team for singles.
• The Belgrade, Serbia, native went 16-4 in singles a season ago, with 15 of the victories coming at the No. 3 position. 
• Krstic won conference matches against Hampton, College of Charleston, Delaware, William & Mary, North Carolina A&T and Monmouth. He also clinched a dramatic 4-3 victory over Campbell with a win at No. 3 singles and won 13 of his matches in straight sets.
• Fellow sophomore Oskar Antinheimo is thriving early this season for the maroon and gold.
• Antinheimo is tied for the team lead with five singles victories on the season, three of which have come at the No. 3 spot. He also has a team-high four doubles wins on the season with partner Jack Curtis. 
• After a 2-0 start to the season in singles, Antinheimo was chosen as the CAA Player of the Week on Jan. 23. It was the second time he has won the award in his career.
• Antinheimo won three CAA weekly honors last season – CAA Co-Doubles Team of the Week on Jan. 25, CAA Player of the Week on Feb. 14 and CAA Doubles Team of the Week on March 28, which he earned with Krstic. 
• The Helsinki, Finland, native went 14-6 in singles and finished the season on a four-match winning streak. Nine of the victories came at the No. 5 spot. 

VERSATILE ZIPAY 

• Senior Ben Zipay tallied his first singles victory of the season in Elon's win against UNC Asheville on Feb. 18, as he came back from 4-1 down in the final set on Court 6 to pick up the victory. It was the second win of his career in a full third set.
• Zipay enters 2024 coming off the most productive campaign of his Elon career. He went 23-10 last season across singles and doubles, with 12 singles and 11 doubles victories. 
• The 12 singles victories all came at the Nos. 5 and 6 positions and were tied for the third most on the team behind just Daniel Martin and Veljko Krstic.
• Of Zipay's 12 singles victories last season, 11 came in straight sets.  
• In doubles, Zipay teamed up with Nicholas Condos last season to earn CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors twice. The duo earned All-CAA Third Team recognition in doubles.
• After a win playing No. 3 doubles against No. 25 North Carolina on Feb. 8, Zipay earned CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors with partner Juan Sengariz. 

NEW GUYS ON THE BLOCK

• Elon welcomes four newcomers for the 2024 season ­– transfers Dylan Heap and Juan Sengariz, and freshmen Jack Curtis and Alonso Roca. 
• Heap joins the Phoenix after completing prior stints at the University of Minnesota (2019-21) and Rice University (2021-23). Heap won 10 dual doubles matches in his two seasons at Rice and appeared at the Nos. 1-4 singles spots for the Owls.
• Heap has been a stalwart in doubles early this season for the Phoenix. During Elon's current three-match winning streak, he has gone 3-0 at No. 1 doubles with partner Daniel Martin, a streak that included a pivotal clinching victory against Campbell on Feb. 17.
• In his last two singles appearances, Heap has come out victorious against South Carolina State and Campbell playing the No. 5 position. 
• Sengariz comes to Elon after spending the last two seasons at Anderson University. Sengariz had a career singles record of 19-4 at Anderson and was named to the South Atlantic Conference Second Team for singles in 2022 and the league's First Team for singles in 2023. Sengariz was also named Anderson's MVP for the 2023 season. 
• Roca appeared in all four of Elon's fall tournaments while Curtis joined the Phoenix in January for the spring season. 
• Curtis is tied with Antinheimo for the most singles wins (5) on the team this season. 
• In Elon's most recent win against UNC Asheville, Curtis made his debut playing the No. 5 position. He delivered a straight sets win in the first match to finish.
• Curtis has also been a force on the doubles court early in his freshman campaign, teaming up with Antinheimo for a team-best four wins on the season. 

 
MEET THE CAPTAINS

• Daniel Martin and Ben Zipay are Elon's captains for the 2024 season. 
• Martin is a Letchworth, England, native who joined the Phoenix during the 2021-22 season after spending two years at Minnesota. 
• Zipay hails from Osprey, Florida, and was Elon's Most Improved Player Award last season.  
• To learn more about Elon's captains courtesy of Rising Phoenix, click here.  

 
TWO-TIME DEFENDING CAA FINALISTS

• Elon advanced to the championship match at the CAA Tournament for the second consecutive year in 2023. The tournament was hosted by William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. 
• As the tournament's No. 3 seed, the Phoenix opened with a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Delaware in the quarterfinals. Singles was played first due to the match being moved indoors. Daniel Martin, Oskar Antinheimo and Nicholas Condos all won their matches to put Elon up 3-1, allowing Nicholas Campbell to clinch the victory with a thrilling three-set win on Court 2.
• In the semifinals, Elon lost the doubles point to No. 7 Monmouth but rolled in singles to earn a 4-1 win. Campbell again secured the decisive point for the Phoenix after Martin, Ben Zipay and Veljko Krstic won their contests.
• In a rematch of the 2022 championship match, No. 1 UNCW defeated Elon 4-1 to defend its conference title. 
• Last year marked the first time since joining the CAA that Elon has advanced to the championship match in consecutive years. 

 
THE LEONARD ERA

• Head coach Michael Leonard is entering his 20th season leading the Phoenix.
• During Leonard's time at Elon, he has compiled an impressive 287-171 record and led the program to three NCAA Tournament appearances. He also guided the maroon and gold to its maiden CAA championship in 2019. 
• Since joining the CAA in 2014, Leonard has led Elon to three conference championship matches, with all three coming in the last four editions of the tournament. Only UNCW and William & Mary have qualified for more CAA championship matches since Elon joined the conference.  
• Elon has won at least one match in all its appearances in the CAA Tournament. The Phoenix has advanced to at least the semifinals in eight consecutive seasons. 
• Leonard was named CAA Coach of the Year in 2019 and took home Southern Conference Coach of the Year on six occasions. 
• Under Leonard's leadership, the program has amassed 74 all-conference selections, six conference players of the year, six conference rookies of the year, while three singles players and two doubles teams have earned bids to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.
• Leonard welcomes first-year assistant coach Garcian D'Cruz to his staff for the 2024.

 
HOME COOKING

• Currently on a five-match homestand to kick off its home slate this season, Elon has started the season 3-0 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 
• During its three-match winning streak at home, Elon is 16-2 in completed singles contests and 32-9 in total sets. The Phoenix has won 19 of the 21 points available over that span. 
• Elon is unbeaten at the Nos. 2-6 singles spots in its last three home contests and has won six of seven completed doubles matches. 
• The Phoenix won its 14^th consecutive home opener at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on Feb. 13 against South Carolina State, a streak that started in 2011. 
• Elon finished with a 10-1 mark at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center last season. The Phoenix went 10-2 in home contests, as the team lost its only match at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center. 
• Elon has had 11 straight seasons with a winning home record. The last time the Phoenix did not finish with a winning home record was 2012. 
• Since the start of the 2013 season, Elon is 101-23 in home matches. 

 
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB

• Gardner-Webb enters Thursday's match with an impressive 8-1 record this season. 
• The Runnin' Bulldogs began the season 8-0 before losing to Georgia Southern in their most recent outing on Feb. 18. 
• Only one of Gardner-Webb's wins has come at home this season, with the other seven coming in either road or neutral site contests.
• Gardner-Webb's signature win so far this season came against Xavier on Feb. 10, as the Runnin' Bulldogs upset the Musketeers 4-3 in a match played on Furman's campus.
• The Runnin' Bulldogs have come up big in tight matches this year, winning three by a 4-3 score.
• Eduardo Dias and Alex Lepine have been Gardner-Webb's top two singles players so far this season. 
• Mike Griffith is in his 22^nd year as the head coach at Gardner-Webb.  

 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix will play a pair of weekend contests. Elon closes out its homestand Saturday with an 11 a.m. match against CAA opponent Hampton before traveling to Raleigh on Sunday for a clash with No. 17 North Carolina State.