JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Still on the search for its first South Atlantic Conference win of the season, Carson-Newman looks to end its six-match losing skid as the team prepares for a face-off with Catawba on Friday afternoon at the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex.
The Eagles (2-10, 0-6 SAC) fell in a tough 6-3 loss in Tuesday's road trip to No. 23 Anderson, 6-3. C-N held a 2-1 advantage through double action but could not contain a resilient Trojan squad that won five straight matches to take a 5-2 lead that they would hold onto. Carson-Newman was able to win just one match in singles play as Kevin Mendes (Chattanooga, Tenn.) was successful in 6-2, 6-3 straight sets over Simon Wilson at the No. 5 spot.
The senior is now the only Eagle to hold a winning streak heading into the meeting with the Catawba Indians. He has won three straight and looks to continue the run on Friday.
Catawba (3-8, 1-5 SAC) notched a 5-4 upset victory over No. 23 Anderson on Wednesday. The Indians won two of the doubles matches before going down 4-2 through most of singles play. No. 6 Adam Rocko, No. 1 Luca Picci and No. 3 Ryen Reid all finished the day with wins to propel Catawba to its first conference win of the season.
At this juncture, first-year head Chris Juergens' team now sits one spot above last place in the conference where Carson-Newman and Mars Hill are found. The Catawba Indians' win ended a six-match losing skid.
Before the beginning of this season, Catawba was projected to finish ninth in the conference's preseason coaches' poll following a 12-12 record last season, 4-7 in SAC action.
The top singles position has been shared by three members throughout the season but Picci has seen the most time there, holding a 3-5 record, 2-4 in conference action. The junior has also been a part of the most relied upon doubles tandem with senior Lucas Miller. The two have garnered a 3-6 overall record, 1-5 against SAC opponents.
The Eagles were victorious over Catawba in the 2016-17 campaign winning by a slight 5-4 margin thanks to Jesus Bacete-Sanz (Spain) winning the final match of the day at the No. 5 singles spot over Cason Hiers, 6-4 and 7-5.
Since 2010, the Catawba Indians hold a 5-3 lead in the series.
Friday's meeting between the Eagles and Catawba College Catawba Indians is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex.
