SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman’s Elijah Poritzky has been named the Southern Conference men’s tennis player of the week for all matches played from April 11-16, the conference announced on Tuesday. The award is selected by the league office and is the final one of the season.
 
Poritzky, a sophomore from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, went 2-0 at No. 2 singles and 2-0 at No. 1 doubles in helping Furman to wins over Mercer and Wofford to end the regular season.
 
In Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Bears, Poritzky paired with Thomas Kennedy for the first time this season and the duo proceeded to top Mercer’s Mariano Argote and Samuel MacLeod by a 6-1 score at the top flight. In singles play, Poritzky cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Lucas Dini.
 
Two days later in the Paladins’ 6-1 win over rival Wofford, Poritzky and Kennedy nabbed another win at the top doubles spot, this time dropping Ian Rasheed and Will Fullett, 6-3. Poritzky then clinched the match in singles play with his 6-2, 6-3 win over Robbie Young.
 
The weekly award is the first of Poritzky’s career.
 
Furman finished the regular season on a three-match winning streak to post a 10-13 overall mark and a 4-3 league ledger. The fifth-seeded Paladins will face No. 4 seed Samford (10-10, 5-2) in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Men’s Tennis Championship on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The tournament, which will take place at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee, begins Thursday and wraps with the final on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Also nominated: Thiago Pernas (ETSU), Marceau Foulihoux (Mercer) and Simon Labbe (Chattanooga).
 
SoCon Men’s Tennis Players of the Week
Jan. 17          Thiago Pernas, ETSU
Jan. 24          David Flisberg, UNCG
Jan. 31          Mohammed Ali Bellalouna, Samford
Feb. 7            Sandeep Mohandoss, Samford
Feb. 14          Maxwell Giddens, Samford
Feb. 21          Ryan Mudre, Chattanooga
Feb. 28          Dimitri Badra, ETSU
March 7         Dimitri Badra, ETSU
March 14       Alex Horn, Wofford
March 21       Sebastian Kamieniecki, The Citadel
March 28       Kerim Hyatt, Chattanooga
April 4            Simon Labbe, Chattanooga
April 11          Sandeep Mohandoss, Samford
April 18          Elijah Poritzky, Furman