TEMPE, Ariz. – As the 2022 season rolls on, it is the Eagles of Carson-Newman men's tennis staking a spot once more in the latest ITA Top 50. This is now the sixth straight week the Orange and Blue have been slotted in the rankings, dropping 10 spots to 33rd in the newest release.
C-N (13-7, 7-4) would see a pair of crucial losses last week as they fell to their east Tennessee rival, Tusculum, on Wednesday before dropping another big-time matchup last Saturday to the Queens (N.C.) Royals. Both scores would finish 4-3 in favor of the opposition. However, it would be the Orange and Blue rebounding in-between with a resounding 6-1 victory over the Newberry Wolves on Friday.
Meanwhile, C-N freshman Marnix Van Dalen (Netherlands) sees a higher placement this week as he moves up four spots to be the 43rd-ranked DII men's singles player. In his debut spring campaign, Van Dalen has gone 11-9 with a mark of 7-4 over SAC competition. In his last 10 matches, the freshman is a perfect .500 as he sits with a 5-5 record.
Queen's Edorado Bottino is the highest ranked SAC men's singles player, coming in at number 30 for the April 14 poll. Following Bottino is Lenoir-Rhyne's Rhodri Atkinson (#39), Van Dalen, Wingate's Florian Walcher (#58), and Queen's Win Steveker (#68).
As the latest rankings come out, it is the Queens (N.C.) Royals leading the way for all SAC men's programs as they sit at no. 21, followed closely by the Anderson Trojans at #24. The other SAC programs ranked in the April 14 poll are Lenoir-Rhyne (#28), Tusculum (#32), Wingate (#35), Limestone (#54), and Lincoln Memorial (#68).
The Eagles will close out their 2022 regular season with a matchup against the Catawba Indians on Saturday with first serve at 2:00 p.m. Saturday will also mark the annual Senior Day for the Eagles as they will hold festivities following match conclusion with the Indians.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman men's tennis via cneagles.com and on all social media outlets.
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