BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford men's tennis team will open Southern Conference play by hosting the East Tennessee State Bucs Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Samford Tennis Complex.
 
Samford enters the match with a record of 5-3 so far this season. The Bulldogs are coming off two-straight wins, earning victories over Eastern Kentucky (6-1) and Birmingham-Southern (7-0) last Sunday.
 
Samford is led by senior Fares Kilani, who was named last week's SoCon Player of the Week. Kilani, who has played mostly at the No. 1 singles position, has an overall singles record of 5-3 (4-3 and No. 1 and 1-0 at No. 2).
 
Fellow senior Trey Carter also has a singles record of 5-3 (4-3 at No. 2 and 1-0 at No. 1). Sophomore Justin Ghavami has a record of 5-2, playing at the No. 3 spot. Senior Leonard Gerch has posted a record of 3-3 (2-3 at No. 4 and 1-0 at No. 5).
 
Sophomore Eduardo Lourido Sanchez is 1-3 at No. 5 singles, while sophomore Jake Faundez is 4-1 at the No. 6 spot. Sophomore Austin Heinz made his season debut in the win over Birmingham-Southern, and he is 1-0 at the No. 4 position.
 
In doubles, Carter and Gerch have a record of 4-4, playing at No. 1. Faundez and Sanchez have a record of 5-1 (2-0 at No. 2, 3-1 at No.  3). Ghavami and Kilani have a record of 2-3 (1-3 at No. 2 and 1-0 at No. 3), while Heinz and Kilani are 1-0 at No. 3 doubles.
 
ETSU enters the weekend with a record of 3-5. The Bucs are coming off a 6-1 loss at 16^th-ranked Georgia last Sunday. ETSU is also playing at UAB Saturday afternoon.
 
Last season, Samford at ETSU met in Johnson City, Tenn., with the Bucs earning a 5-2 win. The teams also met in the second round of the SoCon Tournament, with ETSU winning by a score of 4-1.
 
A full recap and results will be posted to www.samfordsports.com following the match.