Men's Tennis To Face Liberty At Big South Championships

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Matt Gordon was 11-6 this season in singles matches.

April 20, 2011

CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina men’s tennis team will face No. 6 seed Liberty in the first round of the Big South Championships Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. from the Memorial Courts on the Winthrop campus.

The Chanticleers earned the No. 3 overall seed after finishing the season with an 11-7 overall record and a 4-2 record inside the Big South Conference. Coastal Carolina began the season 1-2 in league play, but rallied to win its final three league matches.

In addition, Coastal Carolina enters the championships on a three-match winning streak and has not lost to a Big South opponent since falling to Winthrop on April 3rd.

The Chanticleers are 1-0 this season against Liberty following a 4-3 win earlier this season in Lynchburg, Va., to mark the sixth straight win by Coastal Carolina over Liberty. The Chanticleers have not lost to Liberty since the 2005 season.

Coastal sophomore Yusuke Kusuda finished the season with the most singles victories for the Chants after posting a record of 14-4, which included a 10-1 mark when playing at the No. 3 position. Senior Matt Gordon posted a record of 11-6 and was an undefeated 9-0 playing No. 2 singles.

Newcomer Danny Heidecker turned in a 10-8 mark in singles, while freshman Leo Christofides was 9-3 overall this season.

In doubles, Gordon and fellow senior Peter Billingham were 13-5 overall and won 10 matches playing at the No. 1 position. Heidecker and senior Alex Funkhouser ended the year with a 10-5 overall mark and recorded a 9-3 record at No. 2.

“Our guys are playing well and I am really excited about the tournament,” Coastal Carolina head coach Chris Powers said. “I feel like we really came together as a team down the stretch and whoever we play will get our best shot. It’s always a positive to enter the tournament on a winning streak.”