Western Carolina 6, Savannah State 1
Savannah, Ga. - Sara Ruiz Pajares won her first collegiate match and the Catamounts won their first doubles point of the season, as Western Carolina gained its first victory of the 2014 campaign defeating Savannah State, 6-1, Friday afternoon at the Tiger Tennis Courts.
"I am really proud of the way the girls competed today." head coach Michaela Kissell-Eddins said. "It feels great to get our first win, but I am even happier for the team because of all the hard work they have put in this year."
Western Carolina (1-8-1) collected victories at both of the doubles matches on the day. At the No.1 doubles match, Stacia Kissell and Shannon Bettiol won their second consecutive doubles match, blanking Andrea Pavolic and Nadin Olsson, 8-0.
Despite defaulting the No.3 doubles match, the Catamounts clinched the doubles point as Megan McLinden and Ruiz Pajares defeated Jennyfer Vivas and Angela Bonilla, 8-2, at the No.2 doubles spot.
Along with winning both doubles matches, the Catamounts won all five singles contests on the day.
Kissell extended her singles winning streak to seven matches on the season as she defeated Pavlovic, 6-0, 6-0, in the No. 1 singles matchup. Kissell's win gives her nine singles victories on the year.
Western Carolina's Erin Maguire found victory today for the first time, snapping a five-match streak, as she defeated Nicole Ashiedu, 6-3, 6-1, in the No.5 singles spot.
The Catamounts claimed the overall match victory when McLinden defeated the Tigers' Olsson in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
WCU added to their point total on the afternoon at the No.2 singles position with Bettiol’s defeat of Savannah State's Bonilla for her third consecutive singles victory. She claimed the match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.
After dropping a close contest against Mercer the day before, WCU's Ruiz Pajares cracked the win column as she defeated Vivas at the No. 4 position, winning 6-0, 6-4.
The Catamounts will continue its three-match, three-day road trip at Georgia Southern on Saturday, March 15 at noon.
Southern Miss 5, Appalachian State 2
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Appalachian State University women’s tennis lost its final match in Charleston, S.C. with a 5-2 defeat at the hands Southern Miss on Friday.
The Mountaineers (4-10) finished the week with an 0-4 record in Charleston as the Golden Eagles (5-10) won all but two singles flights and picked up the doubles point.
Gabrielle Wreder and Jessica Thaggard were able to grab wins at the No. 4 and No. 5 singles flights while the duo of Thaggard/McKayla Zupan won their match at No. 3 doubles.
Wreder won handily with a 6-2, 6-2 score at No. 4 while Thaggard was a winner by a 6-4, 6-1 final at the No. 5 spot. Mackenzie LaSure was able to bounce back from a first-set loss to force a decisive third set, but ultimately fell by a 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 tally.
The duo of Thaggard/Zupan won their doubles match by an 8-2 score, but Appalachian’s top-two pairings could not pick up a victory.
Appalachian State returns to Southern Conference play when its travels to Georgia Southern for a noon match on Sunday.
San Diego 6, Furman 1
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – San Diego captured the doubles point then won four singles matches in the middle of the lineup to down Furman, 6-1, Friday at the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif.
The Paladins opened play with a doubles win at flight three, as senior Margaret Boyette and freshman Karlee Bryde topped Idil Haciraifoglu and Mikayla Morkel-Brink, 8-3. The Toreros took the top two flights to win the point, with Shani Blecher and Marta Stojanovic notching an 8-5 victory over junior Alex Moreno-Kaste and senior Katherine Oudin at number one, and Anna Depenau and Colomba DiFilippo defeating the freshman duo of Blair Martin and Ansley Speaks, 8-3, at flight two.
Two Furman freshmen picked up two victories in singles action, as Speaks won a hard-fought match over Blecher, 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 1-0(6) at number one, and Martin bested Morkel-Brink, 6-0, 6-2, at flight six.
San Diego’s Stojanovic recorded a 6-3, 6-1 win over Moreno-Kaste at flight two, and Depenau beat Bryde, 6-1, 6-2, at number three. At flight four, DiFilippo posted a 6-2, 6-3 advantage versus Oudin, while Haciraifoglu came from behind to defeat junior Kelly Sullivan, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0(10), at number five.
Furman (7-5) opens the 2014 Southern Conference season at Elon on March 21 then plays at UNC Greensboro on March 22. The Paladins conclude their six-match road swing at Western Carolina on March 25. The Paladins’ next home match is March 26 versus Appalachian State at the Mickel Tennis Center.