New Orleans - The New Orleans Privateers men's tennis team will begin Southland play on Wednesday when they take on the Nicholls Colonels in Thibodaux. The match is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
New Orleans has had nearly a week to prepare for this match after their last scheduled duel against NJIT was cancelled on Saturday. The last time the Privateers were on the court was in a loss at regionally ranked South Alabama.
"We need to be ready for the challenge against Nicholls," said Coach
Burzis Kanga. "This is a great opportunity for us in our conference opener and I think we should be in a good place."
New Orleans is 3-1 against Nicholls since joining the Southland Conference. After losing to the Colonels in the first match-up between the two sides as conference rivals in 2014, the Privateers have won 6-1, 5-2, and 5-2 over each of the last three seasons.
Nicholls (2-7) has already started conference play. The Colonels lost a 6-1 decision to Abilene Christian on Feb. 26. The Colonels' two wins this spring came in a doubleheader when they defeated Mississippi Valley State twice to open the season.
Out of the eight players on the Colonels roster, six are freshmen. The lone senior, Leo Santos, has played in just one duel in singles this season but seven matches in doubles. Overall, Lewis Cox and Nestor Giribet Lopez lead the Colonels in singles wins with three each. Nicholls has mostly employed the same doubles lineup all season, using four pairings this spring.
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