CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Delta State men's and women's tennis teams will open the 2018 season and Gulf South Conference competition against The University of Alabama in Huntsville on Friday, Feb. 9, at 11:00 a.m. in Southaven, Miss. The Lady Statesmen and Statesmen will then face off against NAIA opponent Blue Mountain College on Friday, Feb. 9, at 3:30 p.m. in Southaven. Both the men's and women's tennis teams will conclude the two-day road swing with a Gulf South Conference matchup against Christian Brothers University on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m., in Memphis, Tenn.
 
"I'm disappointed we couldn't play last Saturday, but I'm excited to finally begin the 2018 season," said Jeffrey Farris, head coach for the Delta State men's and women's tennis teams. "We open the season against a tough conference opponent, but our players have been training hard, and I am confident they will perform well. We should see a lot of good tennis this weekend."
 
MATCH NOTES:

• Friday's match marks the 2018 season opener for Delta State. Since 2010, the Statesmen are 5-3 in season openers, while the Lady Statesmen are 2-6.
• The Lady Statesmen enter the match coming off a 5-16 finish during the 2017 season. Delta State concluded the 2017 campaign making its 12th appearance in the GSC Tournament, but was eliminated by the University of West Florida in the quarterfinals.
• The Statesmen finished the 2017 season with a 5-12 overall record and 3-6 record in Gulf South Conference play. The Statesmen made their 10th appearance in program history at the GSC Tournament, but were eliminated by Valdosta State in the quarterfinals to wrap up the season.
• Friday's match will also be UAH's conference opener.
• In the last meeting between the two teams, the Statesmen defeated UAH, 5-2. In series history, the Statesmen have won four of the five past matches against the Chargers. The UAH men's tennis team finished the 2017 season 10-15 overall and 2-7 in conference action, but was knocked out of the 2017 GSC tournament by eventual national champions, the University of West Florida, in the opening round. The Chargers are currently 1-2.
• UAH's women's tennis team defeated the Lady Statesmen, 5-2, in 2017. The Chargers have won the past five straight contests against Delta State. They finished the 2017 season with a 9-13 overall record and 5-5 in GSC action and made a quarterfinals appearance in the 2017 GSC Tournament. They enter the match with a 1-1 record.
• The Blue Mountain Toppers ended the 2017 season with a quarterfinal finish at the SSAC championships and a 3-14 overall record. The Toppers enter the match with a 1-1 record. On the women's side, the Lady Toppers concluded the 2017 season with a 3-14 recorded, but enter Friday's match undefeated with a 2-0 record.
• The CBU Bucs enter Saturday's contest against the Statesmen with a 1-5 record. Last season they finished with an overall record of 8-13 and 0-9 GSC record. The Statesmen are a perfect 8-0 against the Bucs within the past eight years. Last season, they swept CBU, 9-0. 
• The Lady Bucs of CBU enter Saturday's match with a 4-2 record. They finished 10-12 and 2-8 in GSC action in 2017. Last season, the Lady Statesmen narrowly defeated the Lady Bucs 5-4, but hold the upper hand having won the past eight contests against the Lady Bucs.   

 
MAKING HISTORY:

• Freshman Emile Le Terrier highlights the newcomers on the men's side. A native of Paris, France, Le Terrier enters the season ranked No. 47 nationally in the Oracle/ITA Division II National Singles Rankings. He is the first Statesman since 2008 to earn a national ranking. Pascal LaPlace was the last Statesman to earn an ITA national ranking, finishing the 2008-09 season ranked No. 46 in DII.
• Le Terrier has been a driving force at the net, finishing in the Round of 16 in the main draw at the 2017 Oracle/ITA Division II South Region Tournament in Valdosta, Ga. He and fellow teammate, Hugo Stroppiana, captured the men's consolation doubles title in the 2017 Oracle/ITA Division II South Region Tournament.    

 
PLAYERS TO WATCH:

• Seniors Charlotte Le Flohic and Jemina Linn Sorman will anchor the women in the top spot this season.
• Sorman will complete her college tennis career with the Lady Statesmen after transferring from Upper Iowa University where she was named to the NSIC first team in doubles and earned NSIC honorable mention in singles in 2017.
• Le Flohic finished the 2017 season tied for the second most singles wins and tied for first in most team doubles wins.
• Former Mississippi high school standouts, freshmen Stedman Strickland, Tyler Santucci and Tres Santucci, highlight the Statesmen newcomers.
• Strickland, who attended St. Joseph Catholic School, won five consecutive Mississippi High School Activities Association 1A/2AA singles state tennis championships, while only losing one match in his entire four-year high school career. He was also a member of the 2012 and 2013 state championship teams.
• The Santucci brothers were MSHSAA 1A Team State Champions in 2014 and 2015, 2014 MSHSAA Boys Doubles State Champions, and MAIS Boys Team Overall State Champions in 2016. In 2017, Tres Santucci finished his senior season 14-1 in singles, while Tyler went undefeated (15-0).

 
UP NEXT:
The Statesmen and Lady Statesmen will travel to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., for a match scheduled on Feb. 17, at 11:30 a.m.