ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women's tennis team (1-3) is set to make its season debut at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center, as the Phoenix will take on South Carolina State on Friday at 2 p.m. and Norfolk State on Saturday at 11 a.m. The contests are the start of a season-long six-match homestand for the maroon and gold. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Friday's match against South Carolina State 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 Norfolk State will start at 11 a.m. with doubles, with singles slated for after. 
• Live scoring for Saturday's match can be accessed by clicking here.  
• Admission to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center is free. 
• Updates throughout both matches will be provided by the program's Twitter and Instagram accounts, @ElonWTennis. 

 
THE MATCHUP

• Elon leads the all-time series against South Carolina State 4-1 with wins in each of the last four meetings.
• The Phoenix won the last matchup between the teams 5-2 on April 6, 2019. 
• All five matches between Elon and South Carolina State have been played at Elon.
• Elon won its only previous match against Norfolk State, which was played on March 25, 2022, at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. The Phoenix won 6-1. 

 
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 lost a tight 4-3 decision on Jan. 28 on the road against North Florida, its second of two weekend matches in Jacksonville.
• The Ospreys earned the doubles point with wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots.
• Mariana Reding got the Phoenix on the board with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles against North Florida's Sofia Snitko in the first match to finish. 
• Older sister Lizette Reding moved Elon ahead 2-1 with a straight sets win of her own on Court 2 against Anslee Long. 
• After North Florida tied the match at 2-2 with a win at the No. 1 spot, Helen Sarikulaya scratched out a tight three-set victory to put Elon back in front. The sophomore rebounded after dropping the second set to win 6-0, 1-6, 6-3 against Alisa Lyshko.
• Playing the No. 3 position, Miray Konar battled from behind to win her second set against Kendall Nash 7-5, taking the match into a decisive third set. After the Ospreys won on Court 6, Konar and Nash's match became the pivotal point both teams needed for victory. Konar went up an early break before Nash came back to force a tiebreak, which she won 7-4 to secure an Ospreys triumph. 

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN

• This is the first time since the 2018-19 season Elon has three freshmen on its roster. 
• In Elon's first tournament of the fall season, Ella Suk won her singles flight by picking up three victories at the Elon Fall Invitational. Suk went 8-3 in singles in the fall and was also part of six doubles wins. 
• Simone Bergeron also had a stellar fall debut with the maroon and gold, racking up 12 wins across singles and doubles. 
• After missing Elon's first fall tournament, Mariana Reding starred for the Phoenix in its next three events, winning eight matches, including five at the Liberty Invitational. 
• Suk and Reding both picked up their first career dual wins in doubles and singles against Longwood on Jan. 19.
• Reding is tied for the team lead with two singles victories this season having won each of her last two completed contests. 

 
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 41 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. 
• Through Elon's first four matches, Lizette and Mariana lead the team with two singles victories each. 
• Read more about the Redings' journey from Leon, Mexico, to Elon and their relationship by clicking here. 

 
TERRIFIC TANIK

• Entering her fifth year of college tennis and fourth at Elon, Sibel Tanik is up to 44 career singles victories, 40 of which have come with the maroon and gold.  
• All of Tanik's victories at Elon have come at either the No. 1 or No. 2 position, including 28 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. 
• 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.
• In Elon's most recent match against North Florida on Jan. 28, Sarikulaya picked up her first singles victory of the season with a three-set win at the No. 4 spot. It was her third-career win in a full final set.
• 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. 
• Click here to read Sarikulaya's thoughts on the upcoming season, courtesy of Rising Phoenix's season preview. 

 
KONAR RETURNS

• Miray Konar is in her second year with the Phoenix after transferring to the program from Western Carolina.  
• 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 her last six singles victories, Konar won in straight sets. She had a 17-5 record in singles sets last spring.  
• 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 276 victories at Elon. Her winning percentage is 61% in 452 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. 

 
MEET THE CAPTAINS: ELON'S DYNAMIC DUO

• Elon's two seniors – Lizette Reding and Sibel Tanik – were selected as team captains for the 2023-24 season. 
• Reding and Tanik have been Elon's signature doubles tandem the last three seasons, as they have paired up for 25 victories at the No. 1 position. 
• In the each of the last two seasons, Reding and Tanik have earned All-CAA honors in doubles while playing together. Both players have also been All-CAA in singles each of the last two years. 
• To learn more about Elon's captains courtesy of Rising Phoenix, click here. 

 
HOME SWEET HOME

• Elon is off to a 1-0 start at home in 2024 after winning its home opener against Longwood at Piedmont Indoor Tennis 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. 
• Elon won 36 of its 46 completed singles matches in its eight contests at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center last season. 
• The Phoenix went 15-3 in completed doubles matches at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center last season. 
• Since its first season in the CAA in 2014, Elon has an 89-24 record and 79% 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 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE

• The Bulldogs are coming off a 12-8 season and are the defending MEAC Tournament champions. They went 6-0 in conference matches and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to North Carolina State in the opening round. 
• South Carolina State enters Friday's match with a 1-1 record on the season. 
• The Bulldogs opened their season with a 7-0 home win over Francis Marion on Jan. 28 but lost 5-2 at Charleston Southern on Feb. 1.
• Last season, South Carolina State went 2-5 on the road and 7-7 in matches played away from home. 
• Hind Semlali and Nalanda Silva lead the Bulldogs with two singles victories apiece this season. 
• South Carolina State is led by head coach Hardeep Judge. 

 
SCOUTING NORFOLK STATE

• Saturday's match will be the season opener for Norfolk State after their contest against Wake Forest originally scheduled for Feb. 3 was canceled. 
• The Spartans went 3-16 a season ago and lost in the first round of the MEAC Tournament to Delaware State, who South Carolina State went on to defeat in the championship match. 
• Laura Ruiz is Norfolk State's top returner in singles wins (5) from a season ago.
• The Spartans are led by third-year head coach Peter Banas.

 
UP NEXT
Elon will continue its homestand on Feb. 16 with a match against Gardner-Webb at 2 p.m.