April 5, 2011

UNCG (13-4, 6-1 SoCon) vs. Elon (14-5, 6-0 SoCon), April 6, 2:30 p.m., UNCG Tennis Courts

Storylines

• UNCG will host Southern Conference leader Elon on Wednesday at the UNCG Tennis Courts in a battle of the top two teams in the league and a rematch of last season's SoCon Championship title match.

• The Spartans topped Elon twice last season, taking 4-3 wins in the regular season and in the SoCon tournament. With the win over the Phoenix in the title match, UNCG earned its first-ever NCAA tournament bid.

• In that title match, the teams played singles first due to the threat of rain and came away tied at 3. When the teams split Nos. 1 and 2 doubles, the match came down to No. 3, where Yaroslav Litus and Jacob Wright won four of the final five games to clinch the win for the Spartans.

• UNCG ran its home winning streak to six matches with SoCon victories over Georgia Southern and The Citadel this weekend. The Spartans downed GSU 6-1 on Saturday before rolling past the Bulldogs 7-0 on Sunday.

• UNCG junior Orcun Seyrek has twice been named the SoCon Player of the Week this season, taking the award on March 9 and again on March 22.

• The bottom of the Spartans' singles lineup has been dominant this season, as UNCG is 14-3 at No. 6 and 13-4 at No. 5 on the season. UNCG is 11-6 at Nos. 2 and 4.

• A pair of true freshmen lead UNCG in singles wins on the year. Ahmet Sarioglu and Chanon Varapongsittikul are both 13-4 in dual play and 20-8 overall on the season. Sarioglu is 6-1 in league play, tied atop the league standings at No. 4 singles.

• Seyrek, UNCG's No. 1 singles player, is 10-7 in duals and 18-9 overall. Litus is 10-7 in duals and 16-10 overall, including a 6-1 mark in conference play. Redshirt freshman Zach Reece is 8-3 in duals and 16-7 overall. Timion Meijs is 15-9 overall on the season and 11-6 in dual action, including a SoCon-best 6-1 mark in league play at No. 2. Wright is 6-6 overall and 3-3 in dual action and has won his last three matches.

• In doubles play, Litus and Wright are 15-6 overall and 10-5 in duals. Meijs and Seyrek sport a 6-4 mark together, while Sarioglu and Varapongsittikul are 8-4.

• Elon is 14-5 overall on the season and 6-0 in league play and has spent some time in the top 75 of the ITA rankings this season, peaking at No. 65. The Phoenix started the season on the right foot with a 5-2 win over No. 56 South Carolina, and has also faced No. 14 Duke and No. 75 William & Mary. Elon has won its last eight matches, six of them in conference play.

• The Phoenix has beaten Davidson, Chattanooga, Samford, College of Charleston, The Citadel and Furman, handing CofC its lone SoCon loss of the season.

• Elon took 6-1 wins over The Citadel and Furman over the weekend.

• Chase Helpingstine and Philip Nemec, Elon's No. 1 doubles team, are ranked 49^th in the latest ITA rankings. The duo is 14-1 on the season, including a perfect 6-0 mark in SoCon play, and has won 13 straight.

• In singles play, Nemec is 6-11 at No. 1 and 7-11 overall. Alberto Rojas leads the squad with an 11-6 mark, owns a 9-5 record at No. 5 and has won seven straight matches. Cameron Silverman, who has played everywhere from No. 1 to No. 4, is 10-8 on the season. Helpingstine is 9-7, including a 7-6 mark at No. 4.

• Rojas and Cody Stauffer-MacDowell are 6-3 in doubles with a 5-3 mark at No. 2 and a 4-1 mark in league play. Silverman and Eric Turner have turned in a 6-1 mark, all at No. 3, including a perfect 5-0 ledger in SoCon play. The Phoenix leads the SoCon in winning percentage at all three doubles flights and has won the doubles point in 13 of its 19 matches and topped UT-Pan American 4-2 without playing the doubles point.

- UNCG -