CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Delta State men's and women's tennis teams will face their first true Gulf South Conference test of the season as they travel to Auburn University at Montgomery for a match at 1:00 p.m. on March 23, in Montgomery, Ala. Delta State will then host the University of Montevallo for another GSC match on Sunday, March 25, at 10 a.m. at the Cleveland Country Club.
 
"This weekend will be a big Gulf South Conference weekend for us," said Jeffrey Farris, head coach for the Delta State men's and women's tennis teams. "Auburn-Montgomery and Montevallo are two of the top teams in our conference. We really need the DSU family to come out and support us at home Sunday when we play Montevallo."
 
DSU VS. AUM MATCH NOTES:
 

• The No. 35 Statesmen enter Friday's match on a four-match winning streak after defeating Alcorn State 5-4 on Wednesday, March 14.
• The Warhawks are currently fifth in men's GSC standings with a 5-5 overall record and 3-2 record in the GSC.
• AUM enters Friday's match against the Statesmen coming off a 7-2 win against Queens College.
• After falling 8-1 to Alcorn State on Wednesday, March 14, the Lady Statesmen are seeking to snap a six-match losing streak.   
• While 3-3 in the GSC, AUM's women's team is 4-7 overall--boasting just two more wins than the Lady Statesmen.
• After dropping their last match 8-1 to Lynn University, AUM's women's tennis team enters Friday's contest riding a three-match losing streak.

 
DSU VS. MONTEVALLO MATCH NOTES:
 

• Sunday's match against Montevallo will be Delta State's third home match of the season.
• The Statesmen are undefeated on home turf, while the Lady Statesmen look to earn their first home win of the season.
• The Falcons are currently 10-3 and 2-2 in GSC action. The Falcons two conference wins have come against UAH and CBU—both teams the Statesmen defeated earlier this season.
• The University of Montevallo's women's tennis team is currently 14-1. They have only one loss in conference play—an 8-1 defeat to UWF.
• Nine of the women's 14 wins were shutout victories for Montevallo.

MOVING ON UP
 

• After the Statesmen defeated Alcorn State 5-4 on March 14, the Delta State University men's tennis was ranked No. 35 in the Oracle/ITA Division II Men's National Team Rankings as announced by the ITA on March 21.
• The last time Delta State earned a top 50 ranking was in 2015, when the Statesmen were ranked No. 40. The No. 35 ranking is Delta State's best since 2014, when the Statesmen were ranked 34^th.

 
ALLEZ LE TERRIER:
 

• Freshman Emile Le Terrier has dominated the competition at the No. 1 spot for the Statesmen.
• A native of Paris, France, Le Terrier is ranked No. 56 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.

 
NOTABLES:
 

• The Statesmen are a perfect 5-0 against GSC competition this season and are currently first in GSC standings.
• Delta State's five GSC wins mark the most conference victories in a season since 2014 when the Statesmen finished 5-3 in GSC play.
• The Statesmen's 5-4 win over Alcorn marks the fourth contest decided by one match point.
• Senior Joao Yamacita enters the contest on a six-match winning streak in singles.
• After defeating Alcorn State's Stojan Stojanovski 6-0, 6-2 last Wednesday, freshman Hugo Stroppiana leads the Statesmen with a 7-1 record at No. 2 singles.
• Charlotte Le Flohic and Nathalia Sato lead the Lady Statesmen in doubles with a 4-4 record, including only one loss in GSC competition.
• Junior Ione' Deroode leads the Lady Statesmen in singles competition with a team-best 4-2 record.
• Le Flohic recorded her fourth singles match win of the season. She is four wins away from tying her career-high in singles victories.

 
UP NEXT:
The Statesmen and Lady Statesmen will travel to Pensacola, Fla., for a GSC match against the University of West Florida on April 6 at 3 p.m.