CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Top-seeded Furman and No. 2 seed ETSU won their semifinal matches 4-0 Friday to advance to Saturday’s title match of the 2022 Southern Conference Women’s Tennis Championship. The tournament is being contested at the Champions Club.
 
Furman downed No. 4 seed Chattanooga in a shutout that was much closer than the final score indicated, while ETSU picked up a shutout of Samford.
 
The Paladins and Bucs will meet in the title match for the fifth straight tournament. Furman has won each of the previous four matchups.
 
No. 1 Furman 4, No. 4 Chattanooga 0
 
After cruising to the wins at Nos. 1 and 3 to clinch the doubles point, Furman found itself in a battle in singles play. Ellie Schoppe grabbed a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 2 to make it a 2-0 affair, and 46^th-ranked Julia Adams, the SoCon Player of the Year, put the Paladins on the brink of the win with a 6-4, 7-5 win over fellow All-SoCon first-teamer Nicole Abel at No. 1.
 
The verdict was not even close to decided, however, as three other singles matches went to three sets and the fourth was in a tiebreaker in the second set.
 
Furman’s Jess Dawson eventually clinched the match at No. 6, winning the first set 6-3 before seeing Coco Bosman claim a 6-4 win in the second. Dawson then rattled off a 6-1 win in the third set to send the Paladins through to the final.
 
Among the unfinished matches, Chattanooga’s Caroline Gibbens was leading SoCon Freshman of the Year Sara Snyder by a game in the third set at 4-3, while Furman’s Ellie Schulson had just forced a third set at No. 5 with her 6-2 win in the second.
 
Chattanooga’s Emma Van Hee was leading at No. 4, as well, as she collected a 6-2 win the first set and the second was tied at 6 games when the match was abandoned.
 
In doubles action, Adams and Schoppe, the No. 38 tandem nationally, earned a 6-1 win at No. 1. Dawson and Snyder clinched the point with their 6-2 win at No. 3.
 
Singles competition
1. #46 Julia Adams (FUR) def. Nicole Abel (UTC) 6-4, 7-5
2. Ellie Schoppe (FUR) def. Jessie Young (UTC) 6-2, 6-0
3. Sara Snyder (FUR) vs. Caroline Gibbens (UTC) 6-2, 4-6, 3-4, unfinished
4. Madison Dillon (FUR) vs. Emma Van Hee (UTC) 2-6, 6-6, unfinished
5. Ellie Schulson (FUR) vs. Callie Billman (UTC) 5-7, 6-2, unfinished
6. Jess Dawson (FUR) def. Coco Bosman (UTC) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
 
 Doubles competition
1. #38 Julia Adams/Ellie Schoppe (FUR) def. Jessie Young/Caroline Gibbens (UTC) 6-1
2. Madison Dillon/Ellie Schulson (FUR) vs. Emma Van Hee/Nicole Abel (UTC) 3-4, unfinished
3. Jess Dawson/Sara Snyder (FUR) def. Callie Billman/Coco Bosman (UTC) 6-2
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (2,1,6)
 
*****
 
No. 2 ETSU 4, No. 3 Samford 0
 
ETSU survived an early challenge in doubles en route to its 4-0 win over Samford.
 
No. 3 doubles squad Fernanda Carvajal and Daniela Rivera overcame a match point to claim a 7-6 (7-1) win over Samantha Nanere and Sofia Zaprianov and clinch the point.
 
The Bucs’ Laylo Bakhodirova and Alejandra Morales got the scoring started with a 6-3 win at No. 1, but Samford evened doubles play with a 6-4 win by Lindsay Song and Olivia Jablonski at No. 2.
 
A pair of quick singles wins followed as ETSU built a 3-0 lead on the strength of 6-1, 6-1 wins by Daniela Rivera at No. 5 and Carvajal at No. 3.
 
Morales clinched the match at No. 2, getting a 6-1, 6-4 win over Samantha Nanere.
 
In a battle of first-team All-SoCon players at the top of the lineup, Samford’s Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg was leading Bakhodirova 7-5, 2-1 when the match was abandoned.
 
ETSU’s Yunuen Elizarraras (No. 6) and Emilia Alfaro (No. 4) were both leading their singles matches when play was halted, with Alfaro having just wrapped up a 7-6 (7-1) win in her opening set.
 
Singles competition
1. Laylo Bakhodirova (ETSU) vs. R.J. Van Rensburg (SAM) 5-7, 1-2, unfinished
2. Alejandra Morales (ETSU) def. Samantha Nanere (SAM) 6-1, 6-4
3. Fernanda Carvajal (ETSU) def. Alexis Lopez (SAM) 6-1, 6-1
4. Emilia Alfaro (ETSU) vs. Ally Hayduk (SAM) 7-6 (7-1), unfinished
5. Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. Sofia Zaprianov (SAM) 6-1, 6-1
6. Yunuen Elizarraras (ETSU) vs. Lindsay Song (SAM) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
 
 Doubles competition
1. Laylo Bakhodirova/Alejandra Morales (ETSU) def. R.J. Van Rensburg/Alexis Lopez (SAM) 6-3
2. Lindsay Song/Olivia Jablonski (SAM) def. Emilia Alfaro/Mayya Gorbunova (ETSU) 6-4
3. Fernanda Carvajal/Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. Samantha Nanere/Sofia Zaprianov (SAM) 7-6 (7-1)
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,2)
 
*****
 
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 4, No. 4 Chattanooga 0
Match 6: No. 2 ETSU 4, No. 3 Samford 0
 
Saturday, April 23
Match 7: No. 1 Furman vs. No. 2 ETSU, 1 p.m.