Eagles gear up for two-match home weekend
The 2021 season for Carson-Newman men’s tennis (4-5, 2-1 SAC) is near its halfway point
Video: Jim Frederick Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The 2021 season for Carson-Newman men's tennis (4-6, 2-2 SAC) is near its halfway point. Last week, the Eagles faced off with the Young Harris Lions before hosting the Anderson Trojans and traveling to Nashville for an exhibition with Belmont. Most recently, the Eagles faced off with the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters from Harrogate on Wednesday.
So far this season, C-N is 4-6 on the season including winning their first two SAC matches before dropping matches to Anderson (S.C.) and Lincoln Memorial over the last week.
"We have three home matches in a row which will be great and it is always easier to play at home than on the road especially with fans included. We knew we would play a lot of close matches and they are continuing to fight," head coach Jim Frederick said. "It will be nice to be at home and we are ready to play as we enter SAC play for the rest of our season."
As the Eagles and Bears matchup, it will be the 11th overall matchup as Carson-Newman currently holds the 8-2 series lead. However, Lenoir-Rhyne is on a two-match winning streak over the Eagles and will hope to make it three on Saturday. In the most recent matchup, Lenoir-Rhyne claimed the sweep 7-0 from the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex. The last C-N win in the series came on March 4, 2017 as the Eagles gathered a 5-4 team victory.
So far in 2021, Lenoir-Rhyne is 6-3 (4-1 SAC) and on a current five-match winning streak. In SAC play this year, the Bears have only seen defeat by Queens on February 19 by a 6-0 margin.
Sunday will be the 12th matchup for Newberry and Carson-Newman. The Wolves have won eight straight matches in the series, leading the series history 9-2 over C-N. The last win for C-N came back on March 17, 2012 as they were 5-4 victors in Newberry, S.C. So far in their 2021 season, Newberry has lost two straight matches against Mars Hill and Coker after securing their first win of the year against UVA Wise on March 8.
Head coach Jim Frederick is well aware of the top-level challenges within the South Atlantic Conference. However, he also knows his team can mount up to any challenge and make the most of any opportunity in a season like no other. The Eagles also know how important it means to be playing at home after so many away matches.
"It's very important to have three matches in a row at home. We had two very tough losses in the last two matches and playing at home will help us find our winning ways again," grad student Gabriel Dabdab said. "Our team is tough to beat. We've played four SAC matches so far, and they have all been close form start to finish, and I have no doubt this trend will continue the rest of the season. The goal is to focus on each match, each set, and each point we play. Personally, I want to help the team finish conference with a positive record, and I think this could be our year to do so."
Opening serve from the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex is set for Saturday at 2:00 p.m. between Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman while Sunday will have first serve at 2:00 p.m. between the Wolves and Eagles.
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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