Defending Champion Paladins Head to SoCon Men's Tennis Tournament

April 17, 2007

2007 SoCon Men's Tennis Bracket
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Greenville, S.C. - The third-seeded Furman men's tennis team will make its way to Charleston, S.C., this week for the annual Southern Conference Men's Tennis Tournament. The Paladins are the defending tournament champions, having defeated Chattanooga, 4-2, in last year's championship match. No. 65 Furman (16-10, 7-2) will open this year's competition against sixth-seeded Wofford (12-7, 5-4) in the quarterfinal round to be played on Friday, April 20 at 12:30 p.m., at the City of Charleston Farmfield Courts.

Furman and Wofford met just a week ago in a regular-season bout that saw the Paladins earn a 5-2 victory. The Paladins lost the doubles point, but posted five singles wins in straight sets for their 25th all-time victory over the Terriers. Furman has won 25 of 26 meetings against its neighbors to the north -- the Paladins suffered their only loss to the Terriers in the 1995 season. This will be the first time these two teams have met in the SoCon Tournament since the conference began utilizing a team format in 1998.

The Paladins head to the league tournament as winners of ten of their last 11 matches. Their only loss since March 18 is a 6-1 defeat at the College of Charleston. CofC is the two-seed in the tournament and Furman's possible opponent in the semifinals. Paladin senior Chris Gilli is tied for the best overall record on the team with a 16-7 mark, having won his last ten singles matches. Gilli is 8-1 in league action. Sophomore Daniel Knause had also had an impressive season for the Paladins, recording a 7-2 mark in the SoCon and earning a 9-1 record in his last ten matches.

Furman's Andy Juc is tied for the best SoCon record at the number one position with an 8-1 mark. Juc is 16-7 on the season and he has won four consecutive matches and ten of his last 11. Juc is currently ranked 97th by the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings.

Juc and senior Scott Kahler have been a dominant doubles team this year. The tandem is 8-1 in the Southern Conference and has the most overall wins of any duo in the league with 18. Juc and Kahler have a career mark of 17-2 against SoCon opponents and an overall record of 33-7. The combo is 8-2 in their last ten matches.

Furman is looking for its 13th conference tournament title, and back-to-back crowns for the first time since winning consecutive titles in 1990 and 1991. The Paladins have won two straight crowns three different times -- 1976 & 1977, 1986 &1987, and 1990 & 1991.