ANDERSON, S.C. - With perfect starts by both the Anderson University men's and women's tennis teams, the Trojans look to improve on their undefeated records as they welcome Peach Belt Conference's Columbus State to Max Grubbs Memorial Courts on Thursday with both matches slated to begin at 2 p.m.
The Men's Team Opens Year with Three Straight
Wins
Anderson opened its SAC schedule on Sunday with a convincing 8-1
triumph over Coker, as it improved to 3-0 on the season. With the
three straight wins, the Trojans are off to their best start since
joining the conference prior to the 2011 spring season. Before the
conference win over Coker, AU tallied victories over Southern
Wesleyan (9-0) and Belmont Abbey (7-2).
Four Trojans have perfect singles records on the season, as newcomer Nicolas Ascarrunz headlines the group with three straight wins at the No. 3 position. Earlier this season, Ascarrunz earned AstroTurf SAC Player of the Week honors following his first match in the Black and Gold. Juniors Paul Michael Calhoun and Inaki Iriberry join senior Alex Wallace with perfect 3-0 marks at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
Women's Tennis Continues Winning Streak
With its 6-3 victory over conference rival Coker on Sunday, AU
continues to add to its best start in recorded program history, as
it enters the week with a 4-0 overall record. Prior to the win over
the Cobras, the Trojans recorded three straight 9-0 shutouts over
Southern Wesleyan, Columbia College and Belmont Abbey.
With her six victories in singles and doubles last week, senior Lindsay Gregory earned AstroTurf SAC Player of the Week honors, as the Trojans have swept the weekly awards on the young season. Sophomore Rebecca Bruning claimed the honor two weeks ago following her pair of victories over SWU to open the season.
Bruning and Lindsay Gregory currently lead the squad in singles triumphs on the year, as they hold identical 4-0 records, with Bruning posting a 3-0 mark at the No. 1 position. With teammate Mairead Cleary, Gregory has yet to drop a match this season, entering Thursday with a 4-0 record in doubles.
The Cougars
On the men's side, Columbus State is currently ranked No. 6 in the
nation and enters Thursday's matchup with a perfect 2-0 record for
the spring. The Cougars are led by Oussama Zoghlami who earned a
spot on the Preseason All-PBC Team before the start of the season.
Zoghlami is coming off a 2014 season where he finished 35-9 in
singles and doubles and was slotted No. 17 in the national singles
rankings.
The women's team is currently positioned eighth in the national rankings and claimed their only match of the young season with an 8-1 win over Francis Marion on Saturday. Leading CSU is last season's PBC Freshman of the Year, Beatriz Leon, who was also named to the Preseason All-PBC Team before the start of this season after totaling 45 wins in 2014.
Last Meeting
The last time Anderson and Columbus State have locked up was in
2013, as the CSU men's team captured a 9-0 shutout over AU, while
the Cougar women's team recorded an 8-0 win.
