VIDEO: Marnix Van Dalen Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After helping the Eagles to a 2-0 week conference play, junior Marnix Van Dalen earned SAC Player of the Week honors, becoming the first Eagle to achieve the award this season and the first of his career.  

"It means a lot to me," Van Dalen said. "I've been here for two and a half years, and it's my first time getting it… I was pretty excited."

Van Dalen's performance helped the Eagles respond after a tough weekend in which C-N dropped matches to Catawba and Lee, and the two conference wins helped the Eagles build momentum heading into a big weekend.

"We fought hard, but it was tough going all the way to Catawba and playing Lee back-to-back," Van Dalen said. But we bounced back as a team.  We really wanted to win after those two losses."

In the Eagles' wins over Anderson and Coker, Van Dalen posted a 4-0 mark in singles and doubles play.

"I just played really well," Van Dalen said. "I had a very good attitude. That's where it all starts for me. If I'm hyped up with a lot of energy, that's when I play my best."

 In singles play against the Trojans, Van Dalen cruised to a two-set victory in No. 1 singles, winning 6-2, 6-0. In No. 1 doubles, the all-conference duo of Van Dalen and Lars Hordijk had no problem handling the pairing from Anderson, winning the match 6-0. The two wins from Van Dalen helped the Eagles surge to a 7-0 win.

On the road against Coker, Van Dalen played a big role in helping the Eagles erase a 2-0 deficit. It was more of the same in No. 1 singles against the Cobras, as Van Dalen had no trouble in a 6-1, 6-2 win. Despite losing the point as a team, Van Dalen and Hordijk did their part with a 7-5 win in the top spot. The wins from Van Dalen propelled C-N to its second conference win of the week and its fourth overall.

With the four wins, Van Dalen pushed his singles mark to 9-8 on the season and 4-1 in SAC play, while his doubles record sits at 9-7 and 4-1 in the conference. With the two wins as a team, the Eagles responded well after dropping two in the previous week.

Riding a two-match winning streak, Van Dalen and the Eagles look to keep it rolling into an important weekend in which C-N will see three SAC foes, starting with Emory & Henry on Thursday in Bristol, Tennessee.