University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Morkel, Thursfield Earn Big South Weekly Awards
02.05.2020 | Men's Tennis
CHARLOTTE – UNC Asheville's men's tennis team swept the weekly Big South Conference awards, as Charlie Morkel earned Player of the Week recognition while Harry Thursfield was named Freshman of the Week, the conference announced Wednesday.
The two Bulldogs each played a critical role in the team's 5-2 victory against James Madison in its home opener, Sunday.
Morkel, a junior from Cape Town, South Africa, captured a key singles victory, playing at No. 1. After falling in the first set to JMU's Stefan Petrovic, 6-3, he would rally for a dominating 6-1 victory in the second set, and took down Petrovic, 6-4, in the decisive third set. Morkel's victory tied the dual at 2-2.
Additionally, he teamed up with Oli Nolan at No. 1 doubles, and the pairing took down JMU's Alvaro Arce and Gonzalo Adis, 6-2, representing the Dogs' lone doubles win.
It is the first Player of the Week honor for Morkel in his career. It marks the second-consecutive week a Bulldog has won the award, as the league named Leo Bierbaum as its Player of the Week a week ago.
Thursfield, a native of Twickenham, UK, also delivered a key, tightly-contested singles victory. Facing off against Adis at No. 5 singles, Thursfield came away with a straight-sets victory, though he won both sets via tiebreaker, 7-6. His singles victory scored the deciding point for Asheville, as it went ahead 4-2 in the match.
It is the first weekly conference honor in Thursfield's career, and he becomes the first Bulldog to take home the Freshman of the Week award since Bierbaum last season, April 10, 2019.
The Bulldogs continue their season with a weekend swing through Tennessee, beginning with a 6 p.m., Friday match at Lipscomb.
The two Bulldogs each played a critical role in the team's 5-2 victory against James Madison in its home opener, Sunday.
Morkel, a junior from Cape Town, South Africa, captured a key singles victory, playing at No. 1. After falling in the first set to JMU's Stefan Petrovic, 6-3, he would rally for a dominating 6-1 victory in the second set, and took down Petrovic, 6-4, in the decisive third set. Morkel's victory tied the dual at 2-2.
Additionally, he teamed up with Oli Nolan at No. 1 doubles, and the pairing took down JMU's Alvaro Arce and Gonzalo Adis, 6-2, representing the Dogs' lone doubles win.
It is the first Player of the Week honor for Morkel in his career. It marks the second-consecutive week a Bulldog has won the award, as the league named Leo Bierbaum as its Player of the Week a week ago.
Thursfield, a native of Twickenham, UK, also delivered a key, tightly-contested singles victory. Facing off against Adis at No. 5 singles, Thursfield came away with a straight-sets victory, though he won both sets via tiebreaker, 7-6. His singles victory scored the deciding point for Asheville, as it went ahead 4-2 in the match.
It is the first weekly conference honor in Thursfield's career, and he becomes the first Bulldog to take home the Freshman of the Week award since Bierbaum last season, April 10, 2019.
The Bulldogs continue their season with a weekend swing through Tennessee, beginning with a 6 p.m., Friday match at Lipscomb.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
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