The Georgia Southern University men’s tennis team, led by seniors Oliver Webb and Marco Osorio, will travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., on Wednesday, April 16, for the Southern Conference Tennis Championships.

The team will not start playing until Thursday. They were seeded high enough to avoid playing early on Wednesday. Four other teams will be playing on that Wednesday to fill out the brackets.

The Eagles will have a rematch against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in their first quarterfinals match. Last time they met against the UNCG Spartans was on March 9. The Spartans defeated the Eagles 7-0.

Perspective:

The SoCon Tournament is single elimination with 10 SoCon teams seeded at their appropriate spots. It starts with the first round on April 16 and immediately moves to the quarterfinals on the next day. Since the Eagles boasted a SoCon record of 4-5, they were seeded No. 6, putting them ahead of four other teams. They have to defeat UNCG on April 17 for a chance to play the winner of Furman University or Wofford College/The Citadel. Winning then would put them in the championship final and give them a chance at winning the SoCon title.

Performance in the past:

Last year, the Eagles were seeded No. 6. They had to play against the No. 11 The Citadel Bulldogs in the first round. In a 4-0 match, the Eagles won, moving to the quarterfinals. Against the No. 3 seeded College of Charleston, the Eagles lost 4-1. Webb was a Junior at that point as he recorded the only win for the Eagles against Charleston.

First round:

It was tough in March taking on a confident UNCG team. UNCG is currently seeded No. 3 in the SoCon Tournament now, and they are the first team the Eagles played on Thursday. While they did win over GSU in their last meet 7-0, the Spartans were not invincible. Players like Webb, Osorio and junior Albert Codina Sala each had close matches against their UNCG counterparts. Not being able to take the doubles point early also set the Eagles back. With recent changes in the lineup, like new teams for doubles and freshman Christian Kerrigan in the No. 6 spot, the Eagles will be showing a different team for the Spartans, giving them a better chance at claiming victory this time.

Readiness:

With a recent win against The Citadel on April 12, the Eagles come in prepared for the SoCon tourney. Kerrigan has been playing exceptionally well, as he has accumulated wins in his last five singles matches. Since this is the last competition for the seniors, Webb and Osorio, there will be nothing held back from them. GSU has a 4-5 SoCon record.