Charleston, S.C. The 2009 Southern Conference Tennis Championships will be held at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center in Elon, N.C. on April 23-26. The Citadel is the #10 seed and will meet with #7 Appalachian State at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 23.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Appalachian State closed regular season play with a 14-9, 5-5 SoCon record. They finished the season on a high note after winning their last three matches, defeating Davidson on April 16. Players to watch are Lee Floyd, Alain Humblet and Philip Kloc who all have a 6-4 SoCon record, while Trent Constance paired with Peter Jacobs have an 8-2 SoCon record in doubles. Last year in the SoCon tournament, the Mountaineers made it to the semi-finals only to fall to the eventual champion Furman.
The Citadel vs. Appalachian State
The last time the Bulldogs and Mountaineers met was earlier this season on March 12 at the Earle Tennis Center in Charleston, S.C. Appalachian State swept The Citadel, 7-0.
In the Doghouse
The Bulldogs wrapped up regular season action with an 8-14, 1-9 SoCon record. Despite dropping the last eight matches, The Citadel defeated three-of-four first-time opponents and tallied a 7-5 home record. Alberto Diaz was named SoCon Player of the Week on March 17 for his performance against James Madison, Case Western Reserve, Chattanooga and Appalachian State.
Yufo Sutantio leads the Bulldogs in singles going into the SoCon tournament. He has a 12-10, 5-5 SoCon record. In doubles, Diaz pairs with Derek Dickey for a dominating record of 9-4 overall, 3-2 SoCon record.
Last Year at the SoCon...
In 2008, The Citadel earned a bye after their 5-4 SoCon record. The Bulldogs rallied against Wofford in the quarterfinals but fell shy, 4-3. Daniel Dossetor earned All-Conference first team and he paired up with Sutantio for All-Conference second team for doubles. The Citadel will look to turn their season around in the tournament after having a history of making the quarterfinals seven of the last 11 years, including one semifinal in 2005.
Recap and results will be available immediately following Thursday's match. Stay posted to the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com for complete coverage of the Bulldogs in the SoCon Championships.
