WINGATE, N.C. – Carson-Newman (7-5, 3-3 SAC) takes to the road once again for a big-time matchup with a ranked SAC opponent. Saturday sees the Eagles adventure to Wingate to face off with the #15 Wingate Bulldogs (8-1, 6-0 SAC).
"We are ready to continue SAC play this weekend at Wingate," senior Hannah Price said. "We have had a good week of practice and are ready to get back out there."
As part of a two-match home weekend last week, the Eagles squared off with the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears on Saturday before welcoming the Newberry Wolves to Mossy Creek on Sunday. Saturday was all about momentum as Lenoir-Rhyne gained the doubles point to start the day before continuing their success and claiming the overall 5-2 team decision. As for C-N last Saturday, junior Ana Carla Resende (Minas Grecias, Brazil) continued her continual uprise as she won her number one singles match 7-5, 6-3. Meanwhile, sophomore teammate Natasha Forrest (Jersey, United Kingdom) provided the other Eagles point against the Bears after claiming hold to a 8-6 result at number five singles.
Sunday was much better for the Eagles as a whole. The Eagles came out fuming from the gates as they took the doubles point with a 6-4 result from number one doubles and a 6-0 result from number two singles. The number three doubles result fell to Newberry by a 7-5 score, but freshman Summer Reeves (Maidstone, Kent, England) and Julia Speiser continued to show their toughness and fight despite the result.
Once singles action began, senior Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) ended her two-match losing streak against SAC opponents as she was victorious 6-4, 6-3 and moved herself into a tie with Resende for the team lead in singles at 9-3 on the year. Meanwhile, Resende notched another win to her belt with scores of 6-2, 6-3 as she is now 29-9 as the number one singles player in her Eagles career. The winning did not stop there for C-N as Reeves moved her 2021 record to 7-5 with a 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 thriller from number five singles. Finally, Forrest wrapped up the match for C-N with her 6-4, 6-2 result as she is now 6-5 on the year.
As for the Bulldogs, they are currently the number 15 team in Division II, sitting at 8-1 and 6-0 in the SAC. The lone Bulldogs loss came back on March 13th to the Columbus State Cougars as Wingate was handed a swift 5-2 defeat. Since the loss, Wingate has rattled off three straight SAC victories over Newberry (6-1), UVA Wise (7-0), and Lenoir-Rhyne (7-0).
In the series history between the two programs, Wingate has not given up a match result in the last 11 years as they hold a 11-0 record over C-N since 2010. The latest result was a 7-0 Bulldog sweep from Jefferson City on March 4, 2020. When the Eagles travel to the Wingate Tennis Complex, their closest match result came in 2013 as they were handed a 6-3 loss. The Eagles have also been shut out the last two trips to the Tar Heel State.
"We were sad to see Senior Day get postponed Wednesday, but we now turn our focus on Wingate and trying to get a victory. We'll still have Senior Day as the last home match which is nice," Price said.
First serve is set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday from the Wingate Tennis Complex. Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman men's tennis at cneagles.com and via all social media accounts.
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