JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman women's tennis team (2-2) kicks off SAC play on Wednesday, heading on the road to square off with Catawba (2-1, 1-0 SAC) before returning home on Thursday to face Lenoir-Rhyne (5-1, 1-1 SAC).
One of the early trends for the Eagles has been the play of true freshman Suryanshi. In her first spring season with the Eagles, Suryanshi has tallied a 3-1 singles record between the No. 3 and 4 spots.
"It has been really nice to have a good start," Suryanshi said. "I've always wanted to play college tennis, and now I am finally here, so I'm just trying my best, and hopefully, I can keep doing well."
As a freshman contributing at a high level, Suryanshi credits her teammates and their ability to welcome her with open arms.
"The women's team is very supportive on and off the court," Suryanshi said. "We have a bunch of seniors that have been here for a while, and they know what it's like to be a freshman… I think the other players have really helped me a lot."
With a solid start to her freshman campaign and the team coming off a big road win at Fairmont State, Suryanshi and the Eagles will look to build on the success in the first SAC contests of the season.
@Catawba (2/28)
Picked fourth in the preseason SAC poll, the Indians are off to a solid start with wins against North Greenville and conference foe UVA-Wise, with their only loss coming on the road against Erskine.
Having postponed its last match with Coker, Catawba last stepped on the court on Sunday at UVA-Wise, winning dominantly. Sweeping doubles, the Indians went on to take all four of the singles matches that were played, winning the match 4-0.
The Indians return 2022-23 SAC Third-Team singles selection Ama Miya, who posted a 13-7 record in singles and a 9-3 mark in conference play in her freshman season. Miya also headlines the Indians on the doubles front.
With a solid start to the spring, C-N faces a formidable foe to kick off SAC play.
vs. Lenoir-Rhyne (2/29)
After going 3-1 in their last four matches, the Bears travel to Mossy Creek as winners of four of their first five road matches.
Similar to C-N, Lenoir-Rhyne has seen production from a talented freshman. Reigning SAC Player of the Week, Runa Muderrisoglu, is coming off a 2-1 week at No.1 singles and a 3-0 mark in No. 1 doubles.
Through two matches in SAC play, LR has been up and down. The Bears kicked off their SAC schedule with a dominant win at Mars Hill before being handled on the road at Anderson.
With a talented newcomer and a solid start to the 2024 spring season, the Bears will be another tough test for the Eagles to start the SAC slate.
The Eagles kick off a tough two-day stretch on Wednesday morning at 11 am in Salisbury, North Carolina, to take on Catawba before welcoming Lenoir-Rhyne to the Buddy A. Catlett Tennis Complex at 2 pm on Thursday afternoon.
