April 21, 2004

Charleston, SC - The Citadel (10-12, 6-4 SoCon) will welcome the rest of the Southern Conference to the Earle Tennis Center Thursday for the 2004 Southern Conference Tennis Championships. Matches run from Thursday through Sunday, April 25. This is the fourth year that The Citadel has hosted the event, which will remain at the Don Bunch Courts and the City of Charleston's Farmfield Courts through 2007.

This year the Bulldogs enter as the No. 4 seed, the highest seeding that the team has held since the tournament moved to a team seeding format in 1998. The Cadets will open the tournament against fifth seeded Appalachian State (11-12, 5-5 SoCon) at 10 am on Friday at The Citadel's courts. The Bulldogs defeated the Mountaineers 5-2 on April 3 in Wilkesboro, NC.

After finishing the conference regular-season with a record of 10-0, the men's squad from ETSU has secured the #1 seed. The Bucs, currently ranked 70th in Division I by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, enter the SoCon Tournment with a win streak of ten matches. Coach Yaser Zaatini's team will begin play on Friday, April 23, as they face the winner of the UNC Greensboro/Davidson match. Furman, guided by senior standouts John Chesworth and Patrick Fillnow, finished with a 9-1 record in SoCon play and have earned the #2 seed. The Cougars of Charleson, led by Or Dekel and his undefeated mark at number one singles, will be the #3 seed.

Seeds six through eleven will begin play on Thursay, April 22, at the City of Charleston's Farmfield Courts. Eight-seed UNC Greensboro will face #9 Davidson at 10:00 a.m.; #6 Elon will square off with #11 Wofford at 12:30 p.m.; #7 Georgia Southern will battle #10 Chattanooga at 12:30 p.m.

Furman, coached by Debbie Southern, has won 51 straight regular-season conference matches and has earned the #1 seed in the 2004 SoCon Women's Championships. The Paladins are paced by junior standout Mary Neill Hagood at the number one singles position. Second-seeded College of Charleston and third-seeded Davidson have also earned first-round byes. The Cougars, 8-2 in SoCon play this season, are the defending SoCon Women's Tournment Champions. Led by junior standouts Meggie Patterson and Kelly and Meghan Fillnow, Davidson has secured the #3 seed. Fourth-seeded Chattanooga will battle fifth-seeded Wofford at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 23.

The rest of the women's field will begin matches on Thursday, April 22, at The Citadel's Earle Tennis Center. Eight-seed Georgia Southern will face #9 Elon at 10:00 a.m.; #6 ETSU will battle #11 Western Carolina at noon; #7 UNC Greensboro is slated to play #10 Appalachian State at 2:00 p.m.

The teams that win the Southern Conference Tennis Championships will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. For more information on the 2004 Men's and Women's Tennis Championships, please visit www.SoConSports.com and www.CitadelSports.com.

Men's Tournament

April 22:

Match 1: #8 UNC Greensboro vs. #9 Davidson, 10:00 am, (at Farmfield Courts)

Match 2: #7 Georgia Southern vs. #10 Chattanooga, 12:30 pm, (at Farmfield Courts)

Match 3: #6 Elon vs. #11 Wofford, 12:30 pm, (at Farmfield Courts)

April 23:

Match 4: winner Match 1 vs. #1 ETSU, 8:30 am, (at The Citadel)

Match 5: #4 The Citadel vs. #5 Appalachian State, 10:00 am, (at The Citadel)

Match 6: winner Match 2 vs. #2 Furman, 12:30 pm, (at The Citadel)

Match 7: winner Match 3 vs. #3 College of Charleston, 2:00 pm, (at The Citadel)

April 24:

Match 8: winner Match 4 vs. winner Match 5, 8:30 am, (at The Citadel)

Match 9: winner Match 6 vs. winner Match 7, 10:30 am, (at The Citadel)

April 25:

Match 10 (Championship Match): winner Match 8 vs. winner Match 9, 11:30 am, (at The Citadel)

Women's Tournament

April 22:

Match 1: #8 Georgia Southern vs. #9 Elon, 10:00 am, (at The Citadel)

Match 2: #7 UNC Greensboro vs. #10 Appalachian State, 2:00 pm, (at The Citadel)

Match 3: #6 ETSU vs. #11 Western Carolina, noon, (at The Citadel)

April 23:

Match 4: winner Match 1 vs. #1 Furman, 10:00 am, (at Farmfield Field)

Match 5: #4 Chattanooga vs. #5 Wofford, 10:00 am, (at Farmfield Courts)

Match 6: winner Match 2 vs. #2 College of Charleston, 12:30 pm, (at Farmfield Courts)

Match 7: winner Match 3 vs. #3 Davidson, 12:30 pm, (at Farmfield Courts)

April 24:

Match 8: winner Match 4 vs. Match 5, 1:00 pm, (at The Citadel)

Match 9: winner Match 6 vs. Match 7, 3:00 pm, (at The Citadel)

April 25:

Match 10 (Championship Match): winner Match 8 vs. winner Match 9, 2:00 pm, (at The Citadel)