MACON, Ga. -- The Samford University men's tennis team will conclude play in its arduous, five-match stretch away from home Saturday at 1 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs square off against the Mercer Bears in a brand-new Southern Conference rivalry to be held at the Leroy Peddy Tennis Center.
 
Samford (7-9, 1-3 SoCon) will meet Mercer (11-11, 4-1 SoCon) for the first time as league foes Saturday. The Bulldogs are in the midst of their seventh season as members of the SoCon, while the Bears officially joined the league in 2014 and are in their first dual-match year in the league.
 
Samford heads into the stretch run of SoCon play with aspirations of snapping a three-match road losing streak.
 
Since knocking off No. 47-ranked UNC Wilmington on March 28, 4-3, the Bulldogs have dropped consecutive 5-2 conference decisions at ETSU, Wofford and Furman. Samford has struggled away from home this season and owns a 1-6 record in true road matches.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT
In its fourth straight match away from home in eight days, Samford suffered a 5-2 setback against Furman on April 4 in a SoCon contest held at the Minor Herndon Mickel Tennis Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
The Bulldogs swept the doubles point against the Paladins and jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the overall team contest.
 
On court No. 2, Samford's pairing of Austin Akers and Henry Moore cruised to an 8-2 victory, while the Bulldogs' combination of Fares Kilani and Justin Ghavami notched an 8-5 triumph in the No. 3 doubles competition.
 
In the closest matchup of the doubles stanza, Samford's Trey Carter and Jake Faundez outlasted the Paladins' pairing of Matt Browne and Ben Horst, 8-6, to earn the sweep and garner the early 1-0 lead.
 
Furman, which boasts an undefeated 4-0 record in conference play this season, turned up its game a notch in singles play against the Bulldogs and won five of the six meetings.
 
Samford's Akers registered a straight-set triumph in the No. 2 singles matchup, 7-6(6), 7-5, but the Paladins were victorious in the remaining five contests of the afternoon. With his win, Akers improved to 8-7 in singles play this season.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Mercer currently boasts a four-match winning streak. Since falling at No. 60 Alabama on March 22, the Bears have rattled off consecutive victories against Georgia Southern, 4-3, Wofford, 4-3, Chattanooga, 7-0, and The Citadel, 7-0.
 
On Friday, prior to Mercer's match with Samford on Saturday, the Bears will play host to the nation's 63^rd-ranked ETSU Buccaneers at 12:30 p.m. (CDT). As of post time for this release, the result of the match was still unknown.
 
Mercer improved to 5-1 at home this season with its lopsided 7-0 victory over The Citadel on Sunday.
 
Mercer won all three doubles matches to win the doubles point and take a 1-0 lead against the Cadets. The Bears then dominated from top to bottom in singles play, winning all six matches in two sets apiece.
 
Mercer's sweep of the Cadets also served as Head Coach Eric Hayes' first career win over The Citadel skipper Chuck Kriese. Hayes was the men's assistant coach at Clemson in 1986 under Kriese.
 
The Bears are currently third in the SoCon standings and depending on the outcomes of the final two matches, could finish anywhere in the top three in the league.
 
IN THE SOCON STANDINGS
Four matches into league play this season, Samford enters Saturday's contest ranked sixth in the SoCon. The Bulldogs have already faced four of the top-five teams listed in the conference standings and own a 1-3 record. With three matches remaining in SoCon play, Samford can still vault as high as third place in the final league standings.
 
COMING UP NEXT
Following Saturday's SoCon road test at Mercer, the Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Wednesday at 3 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham, Alabama, for a key Southern Rail Rivalry contest against the Chattanooga Mocs. The matchup will be held at the Samford Tennis Center.