BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University men's tennis team will square off against an old rival Sunday as the Bulldogs open their 2014 Southern Conference slate at 1 p.m. (CT) versus the Appalachian State Mountaineers in a key league-opening showdown to be held at the Samford Tennis Center.
 
Samford (2-5, 0-0 SoCon) heads into conference play well rested after using the last 10 days to prepare for Sunday's contest.
 
In the Bulldogs' most recent outing, which was held Feb. 19 in Birmingham, Samford picked up some key positive momentum by defeating the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, 5-2. With the victory, Samford snapped a five-match losing streak that featured four hard-fought losses to nationally-ranked opponents.
 
The Bulldogs own a 2-2 record when playing at home in the Samford Tennis Center this season.
 
Against Jacksonville State, the Bulldogs earned the all-important doubles point by receiving victories on courts No. 3 and No. 1. In the No. 3 doubles contest, Samford's combination of Austin Akers and Fares Kilani cruised to an 8-3 triumph over its Jacksonville State counterpart, while the Bulldogs clinched the early 1-0 lead in the match with an 8-7 (3) on court No. 1 from Elliot Barnwell and Trey Carter.
 
With its victory on court No. 3, Samford's tandem of Akers and Kilani picked up its third-consecutive win and improved to 4-2 this spring.
 
Samford swept the top portion of singles play versus Jacksonville State and received a dominant 6-0, 6-3 victory from Liam Sullivan in the No. 6 matchup to earn its decisive 5-2 team triumph.
 
The Bulldogs' Kilani and Akers both registered lopsided straight-set wins on courts No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, while Barnwell outlasted the Gamecocks' Pedro Wagner in the highly-anticipated matchup on court No. 1, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(2).
 
Barnwell, Samford's hardnosed native of Mancetter, United Kingdom, owns the Bulldogs' best singles record this season with a 4-3 mark in dual-match play.
 
Appalachian State (3-2, 0-0 SoCon) enters Sunday's contest with aspirations of extending its winning streak to two-consecutive matches. Last weekend, the Mountaineers suffered a 4-2 loss at Coastal Carolina before topping Richmond by a 4-3 score on a neutral court.
 
In last year's meeting between the squads, then No. 74-ranked Samford tallied a thrilling 4-3 win on the road in Boone, N.C., to extend its winning streak over Appalachian to four matches (two regular-season contests and a pair of SoCon Tournament battles). The Bulldogs lead the series, 4-3, since joining the league prior to the 2008-09 campaign.
 
Sunday's match is the third of 12-straight on the road for the Mountaineers, who will travel to No. 53 East Tennessee State on Tuesday and No. 24-ranked NC State on Friday.
 
Following Sunday's SoCon-opening showdown with Appalachian State, the Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Friday at 2 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin a two-match conference road trip against the UNCG Spartans to be held in Greensboro, N.C.