Men's Tennis | 4/14/2016 11:10:00 AM
STATESBORO, Ga.- This weekend, the Georgia Southern men's tennis team wraps up their historic season at home against two conference rivals before heading to the Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans a week later. The Eagles first play in-state rival Georgia State on Friday at 1 p.m. and then play Appalachian State on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Wallis Tennis Complex.
"We are looking forward to our last regular-season weekend," head coach
Sander Koning said. "We play against two tough Sun Belt teams, both of whom have had a good season so far. This weekend is really a good challenge for us, before heading into the conference tournament. We get to see more of our competition and we can put ourselves in great position for the tournament.
Ranked 53rd in the country, the Panthers have acquired a perfect 3-0 conference record, beating UL Lafayette (4-0), South Alabama (6-1) and Troy (4-1). Georgia State has seized one more win than the Eagles this year, going 16-4 this spring compared to Georgia Southern, who has gone 15-5 which marks the best record since 1988.
The Mountaineers, on the other hand, hold a 12-6 record on the season, most recently losing 1-6 to Davidson. Earlier this season, the Eagles beat the Wildcats in a close one that ended 4-3.
"I believe both matches will come down to who is able to handle the pressure better at critical moments," Koning said. "If we stay in the process of playing one point at a time we will give ourselves the best chance this weekend."
Along with holding the best record in almost 30 years, the team is on a six-match winning streak entering this weekend. The Blue and White took down their only other Sun Belt opponent of the year when they outplayed Troy 4-1.
Friday's matinee is the GATA Game. Saturday will be Senior Day which honors
Nico de Groof and
Rise Lanne following the match.
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