CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The top four seeds advanced out of the quarterfinals of the 2022 Southern Conference Women’s Tennis Championship on Thursday. The tournament is being contested at the Champions Club, with the semifinals set for Friday at 10 a.m.
 
Top-seeded Furman will meet No. 4 seed Chattanooga and No. 2 seed ETSU will battle No. 3 seed Samford for the right to advance to Saturday’s title match.
 
No. 1 Furman 4, No. 8 Mercer 0
 
Ellie Schoppe battled back from a 5-2 deficit in the opening set to win 11 consecutive games, with her 7-5, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles clinching the 36^th-ranked Paladins’ 4-0 win over Mercer. Schoppe and SoCon Player of the Year Julia Adams also clinched the doubles point for Furman, with the nation’s 38^th-ranked duo topping Mary Courvile and Naya Tillitt at No. 1, 6-4.
 
Ellie Schulson picked up a quick 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 5 to get the singles scoring started, and SoCon Freshman of the Year Sara Snyder followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 3 before Schoppe’s clincher. Snyder and Jess Dawson earned a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles for Furman’s first win of the day.
 
The Paladins have now advanced to the semifinals of the tournament every year it has been contested since the tournament moved from an individual to team format in 1998.
 
Singles competition
1. #46 Julia Adams (FUR) vs. Naya Tillitt (MER) 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
2. Ellie Schoppe (FUR) def. Mary Courville (MER) 7-5, 6-0
3. Sara Snyder (FUR) def. Lauren Rich (MER) 6-2, 6-2
4. Madison Dillon (FUR) vs. Alara Hollyfield (MER) 6-3, 5-2, unfinished
5. Ellie Schulson (FUR) def. Lekha Varudandi (MER) 6-1, 6-0
6. Jess Dawson (FUR) vs. Francesca Franchi (MER) 7-6 (7-5), 3-2, unfinished
 
 Doubles competition
1. #38 Julia Adams/Ellie Schoppe (FUR) def. Mary Courville/Naya Tillitt (MER) 6-4
2. Madison Dillon/Ellie Schulson (FUR) vs. Lauren Rich/Kristin Yordanova (MER) 5-3, unfinished
3. Jess Dawson/Sara Snyder (FUR) def. Alara Hollyfield/Francesca Franchi (MER) 6-1
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,3,2)
 
*****
 
No. 4 Chattanooga 4, No. 5 Wofford 2
 
In the match with the most drama on day one, Chattanooga’s Callie Billman clinched the contest with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win at No. 5 singles to send the Mocs to the semifinals of the tournament for the first time since 2018, when they also faced top-seeded Furman.
 
Chattanooga took the early 1-0 lead with a hard-fought doubles point, with Billman and Coco Bosman teaming for a 7-6 (7-5) win at No. 3 after Wofford’s Liz Massie and Lilie Steryous won at the top spot at UTC’s Emma Van Hee and Nicole Abel won at No. 2.
 
Steryous earned a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles to level the match, but Bosman put the Mocs ahead to stay with a win at No. 6. Caroline Gibbens added a straight-sets win of her own at No. 3 to make it a 3-1 affair before Woods’s 6-4, 7-5 win at No. 1 drew Wofford to within a point at 3-2 before Billman clinched.
 
 Singles competition
1. Lily Woods (WOF) def. Nicole Abel (UTC) 6-4, 7-5
2. Lilie Steryous (WOF) def. Jessie Young (UTC) 6-4, 6-3
3. Caroline Gibbens (UTC) def. Liz Massie (WOF) 6-4, 6-4
4. Emma Van Hee (UTC) vs. Georgia Fischer (WOF) 6-7, 5-5, unfinished
5. Callie Billman (UTC) def. Emely Kahrs (WOF) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
6. Coco Bosman (UTC) def. Brianna Wilbur (WOF) 6-1, 7-5
 
 Doubles competition
1. Liz Massie/Lilie Steryous (WOF) def. Jessie Young/Caroline Gibbens (UTC) 6-4
2. Emma Van Hee/Nicole Abel (UTC) def. Georgia Fischer/Lily Woods (WOF) 6-3
3. Callie Billman/Coco Bosman (UTC) def. Emma Sorensen/Brianna Wilbur (WOF) 7-6 (7-5)
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,6,3,1,5)

*****
 
No. 3 Samford 4, No. 6 Western Carolina 0
 
Samford’s Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg and Sofia Zaprianov were both double winners Thursday, claiming victories in both singles and doubles play.
 
At the top of the doubles lineup, Van Rensburg and Alexis Lopez earned a 6-4 win, while Zaprianov teamed with Samantha Nanere for a 6-4 win at the No. 3 slot to clinch the point.
 
In singles play, Van Rensburg breezed to a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles, followed by Lindsay Song’s 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6. Zaprianov then clinched the match with her 6-2, 6-4 win over Angela Perez at No. 5.
 
The Bulldogs have now reached the semifinals every year the tournament has been contested since 2014.
 
 Singles competition
1. R.J. Van Rensburg (SAM) def. Kata Foldeak (WCU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Samantha Nanere (SAM) vs. Miray Konar (WCU) 7-6 (7-4), unfinished
3. Alexis Lopez (SAM) vs. Jordyn King (WCU) 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
4. Ally Hayduk (SAM) vs. Jacy Smith (WCU) 6-3, 3-3, unfinished
5. Sofia Zaprianov (SAM) def. Angela Perez (WCU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Lindsay Song (SAM) def. Julia Pezzuco (WCU) 6-1, 6-1
 
 Doubles competition
1. R.J. Van Rensburg/Alexis Lopez (SAM) def. Jordyn King/Julia Pezzuco (WCU) 6-4
2. Lindsay Song/Olivia Jablonski (SAM) vs. Kata Foldeak/Angela Perez (WCU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Samantha Nanere/Sofia Zaprianov (SAM) def. Jacy Smith/Miray Konar (WCU) 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,6,5)
 
*****
 
No. 2 ETSU 4, No. 7 UNCG 0
 
ETSU cruised to a quick 4-0 win over a depleted UNCG squad that saw just four players compete Thursday.
 
After the Spartans defaulted at No. 3 doubles, the Bucs needed just one win to clinch the point, with Emilia Alfaro and Mayya Gorbunova providing that victory with a 6-0 triumph at No. 2.
 
With the Spartans then spotting ETSU two points at the bottom of the singles lineup, the Bucs needed just one win to clinch the match. Alfaro was again up to the task, rolling to a 6-0, 6-0 win over McCollough Perry at No. 4.
 
The Bucs had won the first sets in the three other matches being contest, with Alejandra Morales just one game shy of going final at No. 2 when the match was abandoned.
 
ETSU has reached the semifinals of the tournament every year since rejoining the league in 2015.
 
 Singles competition
1. Laylo Bakhodirova (ETSU) vs. Juliana Craft (UNCG) 6-3, 0-0, unfinished
2. Alejandra Morales (ETSU) vs. Olivia Gallagher (UNCG) 6-0, 5-0, unfinished
3. Fernanda Carvajal (ETSU) vs. Eugenia Camacho (UNCG) 6-0, 2-1, unfinished
4. Emilia Alfaro (ETSU) def. McCollough Perry (UNCG) 6-0, 6-0
5. Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. No player (UNCG), by forfeit
6. Yunuen Elizarraras (ETSU) def. No player (UNCG), by forfeit
 
 Doubles competition
1. Laylo Bakhodirova/Alejandra Morales (ETSU) vs. Olivia Gallagher/Eugenia Camacho (UNCG) 5-1, unfinished
2. Emilia Alfaro/Mayya Gorbunova (ETSU) def. McCollough Perry/Juliana Craft (UNCG) 6-0
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,6,4)
 
*****
 
SoCon Women’s Tennis Championship
Chattanooga, Tenn. – Champions Club
Thursday, April 21
Match 1: No. 1 Furman 4, No. 8 Mercer 0
Match 2: No. 4 Chattanooga 4, No. 5 Wofford 2
Match 3: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 6 Western Carolina 0
Match 4: No. 2 ETSU 4, No. 7 UNCG 0
 
Friday, April 22
Match 5: No. 1 Furman vs. No. 4 Chattanooga, 10 a.m.
Match 6: No. 2 ETSU vs. No. 3 Samford, 10 a.m.
 
Saturday, April 23
Match 7: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 1 p.m.