With the Southern Conference Championships rapidly approaching, Samford Men’s Tennis looks to wrap up the regular season on April 12 vs. Mercer. A win would help the team improve to 6-1 in conference play, which would lead to a high seeding for the championships and the possibility of an NCAA Tournament berth. As the season and the school year end, it’s time to remember the seniors who performed their best for Samford Tennis.
Maxwell Giddens has only been at Samford for two years but has already made an impact while playing for Samford. After two years of competing at Auburn, he transferred to Samford, where he became one of Samford’s top players. In 2023, Giddens went 5-1 in conference play, helping the team end the regular season with a 5-2 conference record. 2024 saw Giddens leap, becoming the #1 singles player on the team, leading the team to wins against SoCon foes Wofford and The Citadel.
Matthew Gooch will be wrapping up his Samford career this year. Originally from Charlotte, N.C., Matthew attended Carmel Christian High School, where he excelled for the Cougars. He has specialized in doubles matches here at Samford, where he has recorded nine wins, including statement victories over Wofford and Mercer.
Yerassyl Murat has had an exciting journey to get to where he is now. Born and raised in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, Yerassyl attended South Kazakhstan University as a freshman before transferring to Samford as a sophomore. While at Samford, Yerassyl has racked up fourteen wins, including an undefeated 3-0 record in singles and doubles in 2024. He has had some memorable moments, including essential wins against Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech.
Like Gooch, Harrison Williams has played all four years at Samford. Originally from Knoxville, Tenn., Harrison attended Webb School of Knoxville, where he won a state championship. Harrison has won 18 games as a member of the Samford Tennis team, including doubles wins over UNC Greensboro and Furman.
Before Maksim Bogdanovich moved to Birmingham, he was a four-year starter for Lipscomb, where he totaled 51 wins and won the ASUN Player of the Week award twice. Maksim has succeeded the Bulldogs, as he won his matches to help lead wins against teams including Belmont and University of North Alabama. While holding the #4 singles spot, Maksim added seven singles and three doubles wins to his resume.
The five seniors graduating from Samford this year were all contributing pieces to a squad that has been remarkably consistent in SoCon play. Winning the SoCon tournament would extend the season to the NCAA tournament, and anything can happen when universities across the United States compete against each other. Even though Samford experienced the thrills of March Madness, there could be a touch of April madness in store for the Bulldogs.
