Charlotte Men’s Tennis Continues Strong Start, Hosts UNC Asheville on Sunday
Charlotte, N.C. – The Charlotte men’s tennis team (2-0) will look to maintain its winning ways this weekend when they host UNC Asheville on Sunday, January 21, at LifeTime Fitness. The match is set to begin at 12 p.m. noon.
Niners Open Season with Two Wins
The Niners opened their 2024 dual match season last weekend at LifeTime Fitness, picking up victories against Queens and The Citadel. With inclement weather forcing the matches indoors, Charlotte took advantage of the controlled environment to secure two convincing wins.
Against Queens, the Niners clinched a 5-2 victory behind strong performances in singles play. Leading the way was freshman Diego Iturbe, who earned the doubles clinching point and the match point in singles. Iturbe, along with fellow freshmen Afonso Prata and Gabriel Schlossmann, each recorded straight-set victories to help seal the win for Charlotte.
The following day, the Niners completed a dominant 7-0 sweep of The Citadel. Iturbe once again led the charge, earning a straight-set victory at the No. 1 singles spot. Prata, Schlossmann, and sophomore Samuel Diaz also contributed with straight-set wins, while senior Yaroslav Mihaylov and junior Andres Torres secured victories in their respective matches.
UNC Asheville Preview
Sunday’s match against UNC Asheville marks the spring opener for the Bulldogs, who participated in four events during the fall, including the Charlotte Fall Invitational. In that tournament, Charlotte went 6-1 against Asheville, including four straight-set victories in singles competition.
Head Coach Matt Frost, who is entering his first spring campaign with the Bulldogs, returns all but one player from last season’s 9-10 squad. Among the key returners are 2023 First Team All-Big South Singles selection Sam Nicholson and 2023 Second Team All-Big South Doubles pair Jon Brann Reid and Rafa Serra. Nicholson led the team with 14 singles victories as a freshman in 2022-23, while Reid and Serra teamed up to win eight matches at No. 1 last season.
Charlotte holds a 6-1 all-time record against UNC Asheville, having won the last six matchups between the two schools. The Niners’ last victory came on February 18, 2023, in Asheville, N.C., where they secured a 6-1 win.
Charlotte’s 2024 Schedule
The Niners’ 23-match spring schedule features five 2023 NCAA Tournament participants, six fellow American Athletic Conference programs, and eight teams ranked in the top 75 of last season’s year-end ITA rankings. After opening the slate with three matches in Charlotte, the Niners will play six straight road matches from January 27 to February 11.
The next home stretch for Charlotte runs from February 17 to February 25 and includes matches against South Carolina State, a 2023 NCAA Tournament participant, and Liberty, the reigning 2023 NIT Champions. Of Charlotte’s final six matches, four were either ranked in the ITA Top 75 or made the NCAA Tournament in 2023. Fortunately, the Niners will host three of those four stout opponents at home.
Charlotte will host Presbyterian on March 29. The Blue Hose went 16-10 last season and qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning the 2023 Big South Championship. Two days later, the Niners will host AAC foe Rice.
Newcomers Bolster the Roster
The Niners have added several talented players to their roster this season, including graduate transfer Grant Richards from Wichita State and junior transfer Gabriel Schlossmann from Austin Peay. Richards, a touted doubles player, recorded an overall record of 42-31 in doubles competition during his time with the Shockers, including 29 wins at the No. 1 slot. He ranked as high as No. 49 in the ITA national double rankings and advanced to the doubles quarterfinals of the ITA Central Region Championships twice in the fall of 2021 and 2022.
Schlossmann, a two-time all-conference selection with the Governors, exclusively occupied the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles spots during his sophomore season in 2021-22. He was named a first-team All-Ohio Valley selection after leading Austin Peay with eight doubles victories and six singles wins in the spring.
Fall Season Recap
In the fall season, the Niners compiled a 48-34 mark in singles competition and a 22-11 record in doubles play. Diego Iturbe, who is currently ranked among the top-125 players, defeated a nationally ranked player from Princeton in the final tournament of the fall, the Wake Forest Invitational. Afonso Prata went 4-0 to claim the B1 singles flight title in the same event.
The 2023-24 version of the 49ers also welcomes back a healthy Prata, who missed the majority of the 2023 spring season due to a hand injury. With Prata, who posted a 17-5 record in dual match play as a freshman, back in the lineup, Charlotte regains its No. 2 singles player and its best doubles pair.
Charlotte’s Move to the AAC
Charlotte’s Men’s Tennis is now a member of the American Athletic Conference and the 2023-24 season will be the Niners’ first season in the AAC after 10 seasons in Conference USA. The program was previously a part of C-USA from 1995 to 2005 before being a member of the Atlantic-10 from 2006 to 2013.
With Bailey at the helm, Charlotte has made three Conference USA Tournament appearances, including the first appearance in the Conference USA title match in program history. The Niners’ lone conference tournament title came when they won three games in three days at the 2007 Atlantic 10 Tournament, which advanced Charlotte to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in history.
Come Cheer on the Niners!
Don’t miss the chance to see the Charlotte men’s tennis team in action as they take on UNC Asheville on Sunday, January 21, at LifeTime Fitness. The match begins at 12 p.m. noon. Admission is free, so come out and support your Niners!