Huntingdon tennis teams have high expectations entering GSAC tournament

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Huntingdon men's and women's tennis teams each have the same goal this weekend. As the Great South Athletic Conference tennis tournament gets started in Knoxville, Tenn., the Hawks and the Lady Hawks are both looking for a conference title.

The Huntingdon men have reached the finals the past four seasons and won the conference tournament in 2008 and 2009. The Lady Hawks have played in the tournament finals each of the past five seasons, winning the GSAC championship in 2007 and 2008.

"This time of year, it really comes down to which teams are ready to play on these two days," Huntingdon men's coach Charlie Lane said. "Matches can go either way, but I feel like we have as good a team as anyone in the tournament and we feel like we have a chance in any match."

The Huntingdon men are the No. 2 seed and open the tournament with third-seeded LaGrange at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Top-seeded Piedmont plays fourth-seeded Maryville at 8 a.m. The winners advance to the tournament championship on Sunday at noon.

The second-seeded Huntingdon women open the tournament on Saturday at 4 p.m. against the winner of Piedmont and Spelman. A win will put the Lady Hawks in the tournament championship match at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

"We're playing our best and we're playing with confidence," Huntingdon women's coach Ximena Moore said. "As a team, we're probably playing better than we've played in the past four years. This group has a good chemistry that carries over on the court."

The GSAC tournament is hosted by Maryville College and will be held at the University of Tennessee.