ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's tennis team will battle with the USC Sumter Fire Ants on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, S.C., in the season opener for both teams.
Who: Anderson Trojans vs. USC Sumter Fire Ants
Where: Palmetto Tennis Center, Sumter, S.C.
When: Saturday, September 17, 2022
First Serve: 1:00 p.m.
Last Meeting at Anderson: Anderson won 7-0 on April 19, 2022
Last Meeting at USC Sumter: Anderson won 7-0 on September 18, 2021
Looking Back at the 2021 Trojans
The Trojans are coming off of their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011, following 12 consecutive NCAA appearances. The Trojans sported a 16-7 record, including a 10-2 SAC mark, which was good for 2nd in the SAC regular season. Following the first-round appearance at NCAA Regionals, Men's tennis finished the season ranked 20th in the nation.
Anderson was led by SAC Coach of the Year Joey Eskridge, who returns 5 starters in singles. Sophomore Juan Sengariz posted 19-4 and 18-5 records in singles and doubles, respectively, on the way to a SAC Second Team Singles honor. Junior Greyson Doscotch made the SAC Third Team in Singles and Doubles with a record of 8-12 in singles, and 10-11 in doubles.
Scouting the Fire Ants
USC Sumter enters the 2022 season coming off of a 5-13 campaign in 2021. The Fire Ants closed their season winning 4 of their final 7 matches, despite an 0-9 start. Head coach Andrew Bartelmo begins his third season at the helm of USC Sumter and welcomes a pair of freshmen onto a team featuring 5 returning sophomores.
The Fire Ants return 3 of their 6 starters in singles from a year ago. Sophomores Arthur McCarthy, Federico Roman, and Liam Barry, although all being under .500 in dual matches last season, scored wins over Converse, The Citadel, and Anderson.
New Trojans
Anderson welcomes 7 newcomers to pair with their 8 returners from 2021. The newest Trojans include:
- Frank Braga (Freshman; Greenville, S.C.)
- Adam Buckner (Freshman; Walterboro, S.C.)
- Chambers Easterling (Sophomore; Spartanburg, S.C)
- Seth Evans (Freshman; Boiling Springs, S.C.)
- Hampton Goldman (Freshman; Greenwood, S.C.)
- Charlie Lynch (Freshman; Fort Mill, S.C.)
- Gabriel Nolasco (Junior; La Paz, Bolivia)
- Philip Olsson (Junior; Berlin, Germany)
Written by AU Student-Athlete Drew Cagle
