The No. 68 East Tennessee State University (ETSU) men’s tennis team announced on March 26 that it will play two Southern Conference matches this week, hosting Wofford on Friday and traveling to face No. 70 Samford on Sunday.
These upcoming matches are important as the Buccaneers look to extend their winning streak and maintain their national ranking. The team has won its last 14 matches after starting the season with three losses against Tennessee and Wake Forest. During this stretch, ETSU recorded four shutouts and defeated ranked teams such as No. 42 Charlotte and No. 71 Florida Atlantic University (FAU). As a result, the Buccaneers have been nationally ranked for four consecutive weeks.
Wofford enters Friday’s match with a record of six wins and eight losses overall, including one win in four conference games. The Terriers have struggled recently, winning only once in their last six outings, but have achieved a .543 winning percentage in doubles play this spring.
Samford is also nationally ranked this season and currently holds an overall record of eleven wins and five losses, remaining undefeated in conference action at three wins without a loss. The Bulldogs have secured victories in 75 percent of their doubles matches and over half of their singles contests during the spring season.
Historically, ETSU has dominated both opponents within the conference. Since 2001, the Buccaneers are undefeated against Wofford with seventeen straight wins, including seven at home in Johnson City. Against Samford since rejoining the Southern Conference in 2015, ETSU has not lost any of its fifteen meetings.
