UNCG heads to Wilmington for battle at UNCW
UNCG (4-2) at UNC Wilmington (5-2), Feb. 26, 1 p.m., Wilmington, N.C.
Storylines
• UNCG will try to move its record to 5-2 when it takes on UNC Wilmington on the road Saturday. The match is the Spartans' final tune-up before opening Southern Conference play next weekend.
• The Spartans downed Navy at the Starmount Forest Country Club Indoor Courts on Feb. 19, sweeping through singles play after dropping the doubles point.
• UNCG has gotten impressive performances at the bottom of the singles lineup this season, as the Spartans have yet to drop a match at No. 6 and are 5-1 at No. 5 and 4-2 at No. 4.
• As impressive as the Spartans have been in singles play, UNCG has struggled in doubles thus far, winning the point only once in its first six matches and winning just four doubles matches total.
• Freshman Ahmet Sarioglu remained undefeated in the dual season with a straight-sets win at No. 5 singles against Navy. Sarioglu is 6-0 in singles play this season, and has been pushed to a third set just once.
• Another freshman, Chanon Varapongsittikul, is 5-1 in dual matches, while redshirt freshman Zach Reece is 3-0.
• Overall this season, UNCG has four student-athletes with at least 11 wins already. Sarioglu leads the way with a 13-4 mark, while Varapongsittikul is 12-5. Reece is 11-4 and Orcun Seyrek, UNCG's No. 1 singles player, is 11-5.
• UNC Wilmington brings a 5-2 mark into Saturday's contest, with its lone losses coming at the hands of No. 57 NC State and Maryland. The Wolfpack beat the Seahawks 7-0, but UNCW pushed Maryland to the brink, dropping a 4-3 contest.
• The Seahawks picked up a 6-1 win over Texas-Pan American on Friday, sweeping through the doubles point and winning five of the six singles matches, with the lone loss coming at No. 1.
• UNCW is 2-0 at home so far this season with wins over Campbell and Liberty. Campbell topped UNCG 6-1 on Feb. 18 to snap the Spartans' 15-match home winning streak. The Seahawks took a 6-1 win over the Camels on Feb. 12.
• Rafael Aita and Chris Cooprider bring identical 5-1 dual marks into Saturday's contest, while Michael Pereira is 5-2, including a 5-0 mark at No. 2 singles.
• Pereira and Kinshuk Sharma are the nation's 52nd-ranked doubles team, but the pair has yet to play together in the dual season.
- UNCG -