Jean Love Interview

ROCK HILL, S.C.—Carson-Newman will begin the 2016 tennis season slated in the ninth spot in the South Atlantic Conference polls as the league office released the preseason sector earlier Thursday morning.

"We have some good senior leadership and young recruits this year that are really going to help us out," coach Jean Love said. "We have had a really good productive fall season in terms of getting our fitness where it needs to be. I think we are going to be a better tennis team this spring."

After concluding the 2015 season with a 4-12 overall record (3-8 SAC), the Eagles will look to their lone senior in Juan Sebastian Perez (Ecuador) to lead and guide a squad that welcomes three freshman and one transfer into the mix this season.

Marc Bantel (Germany), Jesus Barcete (Spain) and Kyle Stills (Brownsville, Tenn.) will make their collegiate debuts for Carson-Newman when the season's lid-lifter arrives at Newberry on Feb. 10^th.

Jerry Hughes (Shelbyville, Tenn.) will also be making his Eagle against the Wolves after transferring in from Martin Methodist College.

Though Perez stands as the Eagles' only senior, Carson-Newman will be returning a slew of players who have seen significant action over the course of the past few seasons.

Juniors Stefano Daza (Venezuela), Joao Pedro Oliveira (Brazil) and Lee Presson (Crossville, Tenn.) are back for their third season in Mossy Creek, and sophomores Taylor Barie (Woodstock, Ga.), Kevin Mendes (Woodstock, Ga.) and Jordan Knott (Louisville, Ky.) will look to improve on their game now in their second full season.

"We have a lot of experience and talent coming back on the men's side this season," Love said. "That nucleus that we have had here over the past few years has continually made strides. We are going to be a much different team this year."

Carson-Newman will look to challenge a trio of SAC foes who look to pick up right where they left off a season ago, ranked as the preseason top-three favorites.

Wingate got the nod as the preseason favorite as the Bulldogs tallied nine of the 12 first-place votes. Queens and Tusculum come right after in second and third place after accumulating 124 and 112 points, respectively.

Positions four, five and six were awarded to Anderson, Newberry and Lincoln Memorial, and slots seven and eight belong to Coker and Catawba.

Carson-Newman comes in next slated in the ninth position after 52 points were awarded.

Lenoir-Rhyne, Mars Hill and Brevard round out the SAC preseason polls with the 10^th, 11^th and 12^th rankings, respectively.

"My philosophy has always been that you have to take care of yourself," Love said. "You have to do your stuff well. You can't control a lot of other factors but that you can control. We can only control ourselves and that is what we are focused on."

The Eagles kick off their season at Newberry on Feb. 10^th before returning home on Feb. 23^rd for the first home match of the season against arch-rival Tusculum.

-CN-