JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman men's tennis team has been picked to finish second in the SAC preseason poll, slotted right behind perennial powerhouse Wingate.
Despite starting the season 1-4 in 2023, the Eagles quickly turned it around and won 12 of their final 16 matches, finishing the season 13-8 with a 10-2 mark in SAC play. C-N tallied two nationally ranked wins, taking down No. 25 Belmont Abbey and conference foe No. 17 Anderson.
C-N returns a plethora of talent from that team, specifically its top four singles performers from a year ago. Marnix Van Dalen, Lars Hordijk, Gjorgii Jankulovski, and Marc Janse return after posting a combined 36-6 record in SAC singles play in 2023. Leading the way for C-N were Marc Janse and Gjorgii Jankulovski, as Janse posted a 16-5 record with a 10-2 mark in SAC play, and Jankulovski finished 17-4 with an unblemished 12-0 record in the SAC.
In the limited sample size of the fall, the four picked up where they left off, tallying a combined 17-8 record. With the prowess of the returners come a few newcomers, such as Paul Gayk and New Mexico State transfer Yehor Opanasenko. Gayk impressed in his first fall with C-N, tallying a 4-2 record. Despite a 1-4 record for Opanasenko, many of his losses came within a close margin, and he looks to be a contributor in the spring for C-N.
In doubles play, C-N brings back one of the top returning duos in the SAC, Marnix Van Dalen and Lars Hordijk. In 2023, the pair led the Eagles in doubles wins with 12, as well as dropping only three matches. In the fall, Van Dalen and Hordijk earned three wins in the competitive No. 1 slot.
Another contributor in doubles play is newcomer Yehor Opanasenko. Despite a challenging fall in singles play, Opanasenko and Marc Janse led the Eagles in doubles wins with four while only dropping two matches.
With steady returning production in singles and doubles and two important newcomers entering the fold, C-N has put together a squad that will be tough to beat under first-year head coach Jon Parker. The Eagles will kick off the season with high expectations at home against North Georgia on February 3rd.
