After going 21-4 a year ago and finishing ranked No. 66 overall by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), coach Elizabeth Anderson and the Elon University Women’s Tennis team will play a tough nonconference schedule in the 2014 season.
The Phoenix open up against Virginia Tech and University of North Carolina from the ACC, before heading south to Athens, Georgia, to compete in the ITA Kickoff Weekend with annually hosts some of the nation’s top teams and programs. In Athens, Elon will take on host University of Georgia and either University of Arkansas or Kansas State University the weekend of Jan. 24-25. Elon is the No. 4 seed of those four teams in its pod.
If Elon should win both of its matches, it will advance to ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February.
The Phoenix’s home opener will be a doubleheader on Feb. 8 against Norfolk State University and North Carolina Central University. This begins a streak of seven consecutive matches at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center, a stretch that will also welcome Campbell University, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, North Carolina A&T State University, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and Georgia Southern University to campus.
The match against Georgia Southern on Mar. 1 will be Elon’s Southern Conference opener. Following that, the Phoenix travels to East Carolina University and hosts Gardner-Webb University before playing at Davidson College in SoCon action on Mar. 15. The team’s final nonleague game will be a trip down I-40 to Winston-Salem to battle Wake Forest University on Mar. 16.
Elon hosts Furman University and Wofford College the weekend of Mar. 21-22, before going on a four game road stretch that begins at Appalachian State University on Apr. 1. The Phoenix also travels to Samford University, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and University of North Carolina-Greensboro in that stretch.
A home match against Western Carolina on Apr. 12 ends the regular season for Elon. The Southern Conference Tournament will take place from Apr. 16-19 in Chattanooga.
Elon’s roster sports four seniors in Jordan Johnston, Frida Jansaker, Bryn Khoury, and Viviana Stavreva. The Phoenix was the No. 2 overall seed in the 2013 SoCon Tournament.
Elon Women’s Tennis Schedule
Jan. 18 – at Virginia Tech | 2 p.m.Jan. 22 – at North Carolina | 2 p.m.
ITA Kickoff Weekend
Jan. 24 – at Georgia | 2 p.m.Jan. 25 – vs. Arkansas/Kansas State^ | TBD
Feb. 8 – vs. Norfolk State, North Carolina Central | 9:30 a.m., 2 p.m.
Feb. 12 – vs. Campbell | 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 14 – vs. UNC-Wilmington | 2 p.m.
Feb. 22 – vs. North Carolina A&T | TBD
Feb. 26 – vs. Charlotte | 2 p.m.
Mar. 1 – vs. Georgia Southern* | 2 p.m.
Mar. 6 – at East Carolina | 2 p.m.
Mar. 11 – vs. Gardner-Webb | 2:30 p.m.
Mar. 15 – at Davidson* | 1 p.m.
Mar. 16 – at Wake Forest | 4 p.m.
Mar. 21 – vs. Furman* | 2:30 p.m.
Mar. 22 – vs. Wofford* | 10 a.m.
Apr. 1 – at Appalachian State* | 3 p.m.
Apr. 5 – at Samford* | 10 a.m.
Apr. 6 – at Chattanooga* | 12 p.m.
Apr. 10 – at UNCG* | 2 p.m.
Apr. 12 – vs. Western Carolina | 12 p.m.
Apr. 16-19 – Southern Conference Tournament* | TBD
^denotes neutral site
*denotes Southern Conference match