JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With a tough week of back-to-back losing matches behind them, the Carson-Newman men's tennis team hits the road for the second time this week as the Eagles prepare to face Martin Methodist in a neutral site at the Lincoln Memorial Roundup at the LMU Tennis Complex in Harrogate, Tenn. on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Earlier this week, the Eagles (0-4) suffered a steep 8-1 loss to Tennessee Wesleyan on Tuesday before being blanked by Lee at home on Wednesday, 9-0.
"The guys have had some tough competition and tough losses to start the season. It is wearing on us for sure, but we are still competing hard," head coach Jean Love said. "In a few of the individual singles matches, our opponents have just been better, but mostly we have also been our own worst enemy.
"There is no doubt about it that we are struggling in doubles due to our inability to stay on serve at crucial times in the match or to win the big points. We are certainly not being outclassed there. It is still not too late to pick it up and start to win some doubles and some singles matches. It has to start with a renewed commitment from the players. It is up to them."
Martin Methodist (1-5) is looking for its first win of the season at the roundup. The RedHawks will open their time there facing host team Lincoln Memorial.
Their previous two matches resulted in 5-0 sweeps, losing to the University of Mobile and a victory over William Carey University. They opened their season with a pair of 8-1 losses North Alabama and Alabama-Huntsville, representatives of Division I and Division II, respectively.
Head coach Travis Rieger is in his first season at the helm of the Martin Methodist men's team. He is just the second coach for the program in the modern era.
With no freshmen on the 10-man squad, the RedHawks have a roster full of experience with a plethora of juniors, a pair of sophomores and two seniors in Nicolas Galleguillo and Raphael Monzione.
Galleguillo claimed a back-to-back 6-4 set singles win against Alabama-Huntsville at the No. 2 spot while the second-seeded duo of Jesus Quesada and Eduardo Costa garnered an 8-5 win against North Alabama.
The RedHawks were 4-8 just a season ago. They appeared in the NAIA's Southern States Athletic Conference Championships but ultimately fell to the College of Coastal Georgia, 5-2.
This meeting will serve as the first between the Eagles and RedHawks.
An unfortunate injury hit the Eagles in their loss to Tennessee Wesleyan this past Tuesday as senior Kevin Mendes went down, causing his fourth-seed match against Caio Bardauil to be retired early. He has been the solid No. 4 singles man for the Eagles this season while also playing a significant role in doubles play.
"The upcoming match this weekend will be another good test for us. It was made a little more difficult due to an injury suffered in the Wesleyan match to Kevin," Love said. "I am not sure if we will get him back for this weekend's match. The challenge is there and we need to figure out a way to meet the challenge."
First serve between the Eagles and RedHawks is slated for 5 p.m. at the LMU Tennis Complex in Harrogate, Tenn. Results and a recap will follow the conclusion of the match at cneagles.com.
