The men’s tennis team smiled in anticipation Tuesday afternoon waiting to see who it would play in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The regular season and conference tournament SoCon champion Phoenix will face the 22nd ranked Clemson Tigers May 11 in Winston Salem at 2 p.m.

The other two teams in the Winston Salem sub-region are Charlotte and 13th seeded Wake Forest.

“[Clemson] is a tough team. They’re good players and it should be a tough match,” senior Austin Fenn said. Fenn toyed with his Socon championship ring before adding, “but I think we have a good shot of winning.”

If the Phoenix plan on winning its first round match against the Tigers [30-9 overall, 6-5 ACC] it must be prepared to play a team that is both physically and mentally tough. Head coach Mike Leonard conceded that he’s never coached against Clemson, but suggested that knowing their coach gave some information about Clemson’s team.

“They are going to be physically in good shape and tough kids. Clemson has a good tradition,” Leonard said. “We need to play at our highest level against Clemson to have a shot, and we’re looking forward to that challenge.” Leonard didn’t want to look past Clemson at all by commenting on Wake Forest, a potential second round foe for the Phoenix.

“We have a very realistic draw,” Fenn said. “We played Wake close in our first match of the season.”

Fenn is referring to Elon’s opening match, 5-2 loss in Winston Salem on Feb. 3. However, Fenn quickly explained that Wake Forest isn’t the primary focus, Clemson is. No matter how far the Phoenix go in the NCAA tournament, the season has been an overwhelming success.

“Since coach got here three years ago, we’ve had this goal [of winning the SoCon],” Fenn said. “It’s a great feeling to accomplish the goal while being [at Elon].”

“Winning the SoCon helps for recruiting,” Leonard said. “Being ranked and going to the tournament, these things get recruits calling you, instead of me calling them,” he paused and grinned. “It’s a pleasant surprise.”

Reporter: Jeff Bambrick - 05/03/07