WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Forget Punxsutawney Phil. Spring weather has arrived in the Port City and so have the UNCW men's and women's tennis teams, which take the courts in the upcoming days in a pair of home matches.
The women, anchored by seniors Hollie Champion, Annika Sillanpaa and Alix Theodossiou, make their spring debut on Thursday, Feb. 9, with a 2 p.m. match against Charleston Southern at the UNCW courts. The match was rescheduled from Feb. 3 and second-year Head Coach Hans Olsen and the Seahawks are playing the first of nine home matches this spring. The Bucs were picked to finish third in the Big South Conference preseason poll.
Freshman Celeste Matute was ranked No. 111 and junior Madara Straume collected a ranking of No. 117 in the first Oracle/ITA NCAA Division I rankings of the spring season.
The Seahawk men's team, which defeated state rival Appalachian State, 5-2, in their dual match debut on Jan. 21, will entertain Gardner-Webb on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Seahawks and 10th-year Head Coach Mait DuBois dropped a pair of matches last weekend to #11 Florida and #24 USF at the ITA Kick-off Weekend Event in Gainesville, Fla.
The men, who have won four CAA titles and made five NCAA appearances, are playing the second of 12 home matches this spring.
Admission is free to all home tennis matches and parking is plentiful adjacent to the courts.
2016-17 UNCW Men's Tennis Schedule
Date Opponent Time/Result
Jan. 21 APPALACHIAN STATE W 5-2
Jan. 28 at #11 Florida L 4-0
Jan. 29 vs. #24 USF (Gainesville, Fla.) L 6-1
Feb. 4 GARDNER-WEBB 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Coastal Carolina 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 12 USC UPSTATE 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 17 vs. Fresno State (San Diego, Calif.) 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 at San Diego 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 26 S.C. STATE Noon
Mar. 5 vs. Michigan State (Tampa, Fla.) 1:00 p.m.
Mar. 8 at South Florida 1:00 p.m.
Mar. 12 UNC GREENSBORO Noon
Mar. 17 UAB 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 18 GEORGIA STATE 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 19 UNC CHARLOTTE 1:00 p.m.
Mar. 24 MORGAN STATE 2:00 p.m.
Apr. 1 VCU Noon
Apr. 2 GEORGE WASHINGTON 1:00 p.m.
Apr. 8 vs. UCF (Johnson City, Tenn.) 2:00 p.m.
Apr. 9 at East Tennessee State 1:00 p.m.
Apr. 14 OLD DOMINION 2:00 p.m.
Apr. 20-23 at CAA Championships (Elon, N.C.) TBA
2016-17 UNCW Women's Tennis Schedule
Date Opponent Time/Result
Feb. 5 at Coastal Carolina 2:00 p.m.
Feb. 9 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 2:00 p.m.
Feb. 10 CAMPBELL 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 12 USC UPSTATE 10:00 a.m.
Feb. 23 at UNC Greensboro 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 25 ELON Noon
Mar. 5 vs. Davidson (Deland, Fla.) 10:00 a.m.
Mar. 7 at Stetson 11:00 a.m.
Mar. 10 MICHIGAN STATE 1:00 p.m.
Mar. 24 WINTHROP 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 25 MORGAN STATE 11:00 p.m.
Mar. 26 DELAWARE 11:00 a.m.
Mar. 31 at James Madison 1:00 p.m.
Apr. 1 at Towson 1:00 p.m.
Apr. 2 vs. Drexel (Towson, Md.) Noon
Apr. 12 N.C. CENTRAL 3:00 p.m.
Apr. 14 at Charleston 11:00 a.m.
Apr. 20-23 at CAA Championships (Elon, N.C.) TBA
