March 24, 2011

SoCon leader UNCG resumes league play at App State on Friday

UNCG (11-3, 4-0 SoCon) at Appalachian State (7-4, 1-1 SoCon), March 25, 2 p.m., ASU Tennis Courts, Boone, N.C.

Storylines

• First-place UNCG returns to Southern Conference action on Friday when it heads up to Boone, N.C., for a showdown with Appalachian State at the ASU Tennis Courts at 2 p.m. The event is App State's home opener.

• UNCG brings a seven-match winning streak into Friday's contest, including four straight victories on the road. The Mountaineers are coming off a nearly two-week layoff after a brutal stretch of five contests in seven days from March 6-12. The Apps saw their five-match winning streak snapped at College of Charleston on March 12.

• Against East Carolina on Wednesday, UNCG grabbed wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles and took singles victories at Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5 to cruise to a 5-2 win at the UNCG Tennis Courts. Ahmet Sarioglu and Chanon Varapongsittikul grabbed wins in singles and doubles play, as the two are partners at No. 3 doubles and took wins at Nos. 4 and 5 singles, respectively.

• Wednesday's win snapped UNCG's three-match losing streak to the Pirates. ECU had taken 4-3 wins over the Spartans in each of the last two years.

• UNCG junior Orcun Seyrek was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday after going a combined 4-0 last week. Seyrek was 2-0 in both singles and doubles, all at No. 1. The award was the second of the season for Seyrek, who also took the honor on March 9.

• The bottom of the Spartans' singles lineup has been dominant this season, as UNCG is 11-3 at Nos. 5 and 6 on the season. UNCG is 9-5 at Nos. 1, 2 and 4.

• A pair of true freshmen lead UNCG in singles wins on the year. Sarioglu and Varapongsittikul are both 11-3 in dual play and 18-7 overall on the season. Varpongsittikul has won six straight matches, the longest active streak on the team. Zach Reece, a redshirt freshman, is 8-3 on the season in dual play and 16-7 overall on the year.

• Seyrek, UNCG's No. 1 singles player, is 9-5 in duals and 17-7 overall. Yaroslav Litus is 8-6 in duals and 14-9 overall, while Timion Meijs is 13-8 overall on the season and 9-5 in dual action, including five straight wins.

• In doubles play, Litus and Jacob Wright are 12-6 overall and 7-5 in duals. Meijs and Seyrek sport a 4-3 mark together, while Sarioglu and Varapongsittikul are 6-3.

• The rivalry between UNCG and Appalachian State is a competitive one, as the last four matches between the squads have all been decided by 4-3 scores. The Spartans have won the last two meetings.

• From March 6-12, the Mountaineers played Jacksonville and Mercer in Jacksonville, Fla.; Bethune-Cookman in Daytona, Fla.; and The Citadel and College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. Appalachian State downed the first four on that list before the Cougars picked up a 4-3 win.

• Against the Cougars, App swept through doubles, but could manage only wins from Alex Markov at No. 1 and Matt Saltsgaver at No. 6 in singles play.

• Winner of six straight matches, Saltsgaver leads the Apps with a 9-2 mark in singles play, while Sebastien King is 8-3 from positions 3-5. Philip Kloc is 7-3 at No. 3, while Markov is 7-4, mostly at No. 1.

• Alain Humblet and Kloc have been nothing short of dominant at No. 1 doubles, as the tandem is 10-1 on the year. King and Markov have also had a successful run at No. 2, where they are 7-2.

• UNCG and App have had two common opponents so far this season in East Carolina and UNC Asheville. The Spartans topped both teams, while the Mountaineers lost to ECU and beat UNCA.

• While the Apps have played in Boone twice this season, both matches were at Deer Valley, their off-campus indoor facility. Friday's contest will be their first on-campus this season.

- UNCG -