Presbyterian is the only remaining unbeaten squad in the Big South at 3-0 in league play, while Liberty is still in search of its first conference win after a few narrow defeats.
Series History
The Flames hold a 6-2 advantage over the Blue Hose in the all-time series. Presbyterian won the last meeting between the two schools, 4-3, on March 24, 2016, in Clinton, S.C.
Flames Facts
Freshman Vince Salas owns the Flames' best overall mark (16-13) in singles, this year. The Angeles, Philippines, native is 8-9 in singles dual competition, so far this spring.
Fellow freshman Chase Burton, a two-time Big South Freshman of the Week, is 14-13 in singles overall, including a 4-2 mark playing out of the No. 1 slot and 2-0 record in the No. 3 position. Burton is 2-1 (.667) in the No. 2 slot in Big South play, which is tied for the best winning percentage among No. 2 Big South singles players.
Sophomore captain Eddie Gutierrez (13-14 overall, 9-8 spring) is a combined 7-3 in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions in the lineup during the spring season, while junior captain Diego Castano (13-16 overall, 8-9 spring) has won four of his last six singles matches.
Liberty Head Men's Tennis Coach Chris Johnson's strongest doubles pairing for the duration of the 2016-17 season has been Castano and sophomore Alex Poynter (10-6 overall). The duo is 4-5 this spring but has won its last two matches. Sophomore Max Borcuti and Chase Burton are 6-5 as a tandem during the spring, while Gutierrez and Salas have a 4-5 mark in 2017.
 |
| Liberty (7-10, 0-3 BSC) will face Presbyterian (11-9, 3-0 BSC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Cook Tennis Center. |
The Blue Hose's conference wins have come over Gardner-Webb (5-2 on Feb. 22), Campbell (4-3 on March 18) and UNC Asheville (5-2 on Monday). Four of their last five matches will be Big South bouts, starting with road matches at Liberty and Longwood, Saturday and Sunday. Presbyterian has never won a Big South title but has finished runner-up in three of its last five seasons, including in 2016.
Second-year head coach Patrick Fediuk's nine-man roster consists of three seniors, four juniors and two freshman. Senior Ben Kelley has the team's best singles record at 14-3. Kelley is 8-2 (.800) in the No. 5 slot, which is the best winning percentage at No. 5 among Big South players. Fellow senior Joel Roberts is 10-6 in singles play, this spring, while Kelly and Roberts are 11-7 at No. 1 doubles. PC's doubles units have been strong all spring (38-18 record). Jaime Lopez and Diego Manzanas are 12-5, while Alexander Lykou and Brandon Mills are 11-4 as a pairing.
No comments:
Post a Comment