ECU tennis get ready for final matches this season

The East Carolina University men and women will wrap up their seasons this weekend following successfully capturing its first 20-win season in program history, with a 4-3 comeback victory over Coastal Carolina University yesterday.

Due to an emergency, the men’s head coach Shawn Henchion was not available to speak after the comeback win yesterday or give any information about his team’s matches this weekend.

The men will prepare to face the University of Connecticut Sunday at home while the women play two American Athletic Conference opponents in the Huskies tomorrow and the University of Cincinnati on Saturday.

The Pirate men will host the Huskies (4-13) on Sunday at noon. The team is coming off a nail biting win over Coastal Carolina yesterday, which pushed their season record to 20-4. The 20-win season is a first under head coach Shawn Heinchon, and the first for the team in more than 20 years.

The team will finish off its season at home, where it has performed well this season, compiling a 11-1 record. The Pirates look to continue their win streak over UConn, having beat the Huskies five times in a row since 2015.

The matches this weekend will be the last the teams play before heading to Dallas, Texas, to participate in the AAC Championship next week. Both teams look to gain some momentum in these final matches of the season.

The women’s team will start out the weekend by travel to play the Huskies (10-8) on Friday. The Pirates are coming off a week with victories over 13-11 Elon University (4-3), 13-4 Virginia Commonwealth University (4-3) and 2-18 North Carolina A&T University (6-1). Women’s head coach Tom Morris was impressed with the way his team played, and liked where it is at this point of the season.

“I think we are playing our best tennis of the season right now,” Morris said, “It’s the right time to be playing well heading into conference.”

The team will finish off its regular season with a match against Cincinnati (10-8). The team looks for revenge after being swept 4-0 by the Bearcats. Last season, ECU is ready to face these conference opponents and look forward to experiencing some conference competition before the AAC Championship, according to Morris.

“We know they’re going to be tough. There are no easy matches in conference,” Morris said. “These matches will give us a chance to see some conference competition, and we are playing well so I think we can compete.”

The weekend matches offer an opportunity for both teams to finish the season strong before the AAC Championships.