Top-seeded Bulldogs open up play at Big South Championship Friday

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Men's Tennis team looks to continue its memorable 2021 season on Friday, heading into the Big South Championship as the No. 1 seed after claiming its first recognized regular-season title last week at Gardner-Webb. The Bulldogs will open up the tournament at 11:00 a.m. when they face the fourth-seeded Presbyterian at the Marion Diehl Tennis Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

How they got Here
Asheville was 8-5 in regular-season competition this year, going a perfect 5-0 against Big South play. The Bulldogs won all but one conference match by at least three points, with their closest match coming against Presbyterian. Asheville capped off its strong season with a 5-2 conference victory at Garnder-Webb to win the Big South Regular Season Title.

All-Conference Honors
After the impressive season, Asheville was heavily honored in the 2021 Big South Annual Men's Tennis awards, with five Bulldogs earning all-conference status including Big South Freshman of the Year (Jon Brann Reid) and Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Charlie Morkel) honors. Additionally, Tom Hand earned Big South Coach of the Year recognition by his peers. Morkel, Reid and Oli Nolan all earned First Team All-Conference Singles, with Leo Bierbaum garnering Second Team All-Conference Singles recognition. The Bulldogs also had a pair of duos earn Second Team All-Conference Doubles, with Reid/Morkel and Harry Thursfield/Bierbaum representing Asheville.

Scouting Presbyterian
The Blue Hose sport an overall record of 9-6, but went just 2-3 against Big South opponents. Despite winning just two conference matches, Presbyterian battled UNC Asheville extremely tough when the two sides met on March 24, narrowly falling 4-3. The Blue Hose took the doubles point, but Asheville claimed four of the six singles matches. All-time, Presbyterian leads the series 9-6, but the Bulldogs have won the last three contests by a score of 4-3. The Blue Hose are led by Max Benson and Nicholas McKinney, who each garnered All-Conference First Team Singles honors. Benson is 9-5 at No. 1 singles flight, going 3-2 in Big South play, while McKinney went 11-1 at flights No. 3-5.

To view the full schedule and follow the live stats, click the links below.

EVENT SCHEDULE (at Marion Diehl Tennis Center)

SEMIFINALS - Friday, April 16
No. 1 UNC Asheville vs. No. 4 Presbyterian, 11:00am
LIVE STATS

No. 2 Radford vs. No. 3 Gardner-Webb, 2:00pm
LIVE STATS

CHAMPIONSHIP - Saturday, April 17
1/4 Winner vs. 2/3 Winner, 3:00pm
LIVE STATS