BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb Men's Tennis travels to Campbell on Saturday with the 'Dogs having five matches left this season. Of these five remaining, four will be against Big South competition.
 
At this point in the season, the Runnin' Bulldogs have compiled a 10-7 record with five wins from home and five away. In the Big South, they are a perfect 3-0, collecting wins over Hampton, Presbyterian, and Longwood.
 
The rest of the season sees GWU travel to Campbell on Saturday, March 19. After this, Gardner-Webb has over a week and a half before their three-match homestand featuring Radford (3/30), North Carolina A&T (4/2), and UNC Wilmington (4/3). The regular season concludes with the 'Dogs going to play at UNC Asheville, last year's regular season champions.
 
At this point in the season, the Runnin' Bulldogs are tied for first in the conference standings at 3-0. Of the four remaining opponents from the Big South, three of these are yet to lose a match within the conference this year (Campbell 2-0, Radford 3-0, UNC Asheville 2-0).
 
Gardner-Webb has five honors from the Big South this year, two Player of the Week and three Freshman of the Week. Victor Putter received the season's first POTW on January 26 and Eduardo Dias on March 10. Alex Lepine has been named the FOTW on three different occasions this year (2/9, 2/16, 3/10).
 
GWU has been led by newcomers Dias and Lepine, each with 11-3 overall records in singles this year. Dias has emerged as the #1 player on the team, playing the last seven matches from this flight. His most notable win of the season so far was defeating Max Benson of Presbyterian, the Big South Preseason Player of the Year in straight sets. He started to consistently be in the doubles lineup since February 28 against Hampton, partnering with Numa Lemieux-Monette. The duo has won four of their past five and is 2-1 against conference competition.
 
Lepine of Montreal, Canada has been steady in the #5 position for the 'Dogs, going 7-1 on this court. He is 9-1 in his past 10 matches, with seven of the victories coming in straight sets. Lepine is undefeated in his three Big South matches this season as well.
 
Sebastian Harris has been a strong contributor from the middle of the lineup for the team. On courts 3 and 4 in singles, he is 8-2, providing key points to the team from his victories. In doubles, he has paired with Connor Enslin to go 8-4. Together, they have won their past four matches, not allowing their opponents to win more than two games in the set.
 
For this season, Putter and Chrisjan Van Wyk each moved down a spot with the emergence of Dias as a top player. Putter has gone 5-3 when playing at #2, and Van Wyk is 5-1 at the #3 position, each a perfect 3-0 in the Big South. Van Wyk has also been victorious in his past five singles matches. The two have paired to be the top doubles pair for the team collecting four wins this season as a team.
 
For the rest of the season, Gardner-Webb will look to continue their success as they have four matches remaining in conference play. Of these four, three are still unbeaten within Big South play. If the team can consistently keep their intensity and strong play up for the rest of the season, the team will have a shot at claiming the Big South Regular Season title, the team's first since 2019.
 
The Big South Conference Tournament will be held from April 14-24 with the top six teams from the regular season competing. The first round will be held from campus sites between April 14-16 while the semifinals and finals will be contested at Marion Diehl Park in Charlotte, N.C. on April 23 and 24.