JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Coming off of three-straight days of losses last week, Carson-Newman now prepares for a weekend of South Atlantic Conference action as the team travels to Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday before returning home on Sunday to host Coker.
The Eagles (2-7, 0-3 SAC) enter the weekend on a three-match losing streak.
Carson-Newman opened its conference schedule in intense fashion but was not successful against Lincoln Memorial, Newberry or No. 24 Wingate. The team garnered just two wins out of the 27 total matches played in the stretch.
Senior Kevin Mendes (Chattanooga, Tenn.) made his first return to play in the match against LMU since he went down with an injury against Tennessee Wesleyan back on Feb. 20. While he did not take part in singles action in any of the three matches, he did team up with Rodolfo Schwarz at the top doubles position. The tandem was 0-3 on the week.
Lenoir-Rhyne (10-3, 1-1 SAC) comes into the match following a 7-2 loss to Anderson on Saturday that halted a seven-match winning streak.
Head coach Tom Rees' team has been led mostly by Hamed Gandouz at the No. 1 singles spot, going 3-5 so far at that position. In doubles play, Tomas Hons and Shane O'Dea have spent most of the time at the top-seeded position, garnering a 6-5 record.
The Bears are a season removed from an 11-10 record, 4-7 in conference play, pushing them to land at seventh in the SAC preseason coaches' poll this year. Gandouz and Hons were both named second team singles members in the preseason, as well.
The last time the Eagles and Bears met was March 4 of last season. Carson-Newman edged out L-R in a match that took seven hours and two minutes to complete with the Eagles winning 5-4. With the match tied at four-all heading into the final match, Mendes lost the first set to Paul Lenz 5-7 before taking the second set with a 6-4 advantage, forcing the overall tiebreaker. Mendes won the match in a 6-0 shutout to give the Eagles the win.
The Eagles have been undefeated against the Bears since 2010, winning eight-straight matches.
Friday's match will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the YMCA of Catawba Valley in Hickory, N.C.
C-N heads back to Mossy Creek on Sunday to host Coker, a team that is tied for the top-spot in the conference alongside Wingate.
The Cobras (8-4, 1-0 SAC), ranked 46th in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, travel to Lincoln Memorial on Saturday before making their way to Jefferson City. They had a three-match winning streak snapped on March 15 in a 7-2 loss to East Florida State College.
In singles play, SAC preseason second team singles member Mark Watt has been the top man for Coker at the No. 1 singles position, holding a 10-2 record followed by second-seeded Hunter Horton with an 8-4 record.
On the doubles side, Watt and Henrik Hellbe have been the top-seeded duo with a 6-6 record while Horton and Justus Lehman have gone 9-3 at the No. 2 spot.
Head coach Tom Simpson's crew was slated to finish 10th in the conference preseason coaches' poll after a 2016-17 campaign that saw them garner an 8-12 record, 2-9 in SAC play.
Since 2014, the Eagles trail in the series with Coker 3-1. The previous meeting between came on March 11, 2017 as the Eagles walk away with a 6-3 victory at Coker.
Sunday's match has a 1 p.m. first serve at the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex.
