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Women’s Tennis Championship day one complete
Semifinals begin at 10 a.m. Friday
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Three of the top four seeds advanced out of the quarterfinals of the 2024 Southern Conference Women’s Tennis Championship on Thursday, with No. 6 seed Wofford downing No. 3 Samford in a four-hour match for the first upset of the tournament. The tournament is being contested at the Champions Club, with the semifinals set for Friday at 2 p.m.
No. 1 seed and defending champion ETSU will meet the No. 5 seed Mercer and No. 2 seed Furman will face the Bulldogs for the right to advance to Saturday’s title match.
No. 1 ETSU 4, No. 8 UNCG 0
Regular-season champion ETSU got its tournament title defense going with a shutout win over eighth-seeded UNCG.
The Buccaneers’ Fernanda Carvajal and Daniela Rivera earned a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles Jana Rovira and Ralitsa Alexandrova clinched the point, 6-2, at the No. 3 position.
Rivera doubled ETSU’s lead with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep over Juliana Craft at No. 3 singles and Alessandra Caceres made it 3-0 with her 6-2, 6-1 win over Lauren Thomson at No. 5. Carvajal clinched the match for the Bucs with her 6-2, 6-0 win over Alexandra Dodashev at No. 2.
ETSU has now reached the semifinals in each SoCon Championship since returning to the league in 2013.
Singles competition
1. Sofia Markova (ETSU) vs. Arina Babkova (UNCG) 6-6, unfinished
2. Fernanda Carvajal (ETSU) def. Alexandra Dodashev (UNCG) 6-2, 6-0
3. Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. Juliana Craft (UNCG) 6-0, 6-0
4. Jana Rovira (ETSU) vs. Olivia Gallagher (UNCG) 4-6, 1-2, unfinished
5. Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) def. Lauren Thomson (UNCG) 6-2, 6-1
6. Ralitsa Alexandrova (ETSU) vs. Liuna Urson (UNCG) 6-2, 3-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Fernanda Carvajal/Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. Arina Babkova/Raegan Mitchell (UNCG) 6-1
2. Sofia Markova/Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) vs. Lauren Thomson/Sydney Bly (UNCG) 5-2, unfinished
3. Jana Rovira/Ralitsa Alexandrova (ETSU) def. Juliana Craft/Ella Olexa (UNCG) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (3,5,2)
*****
No. 5 Mercer 4, No. 4 Wofford 2
Fifth-seeded Mercer upset No. 4 seed Wofford 4-2 on Thursday.
The Bears battled the Terriers through doubles play, securing the first doubles win as Mariella Minetti and Tea Zivic won 6-1.Wofford’s Grace Agster and Lily Woods then tied the match with a 6-3 win at the No. 1 position. Teodora Ristic and Marina de Diego Quinones then clinched the doubles point for the Bears with a 7-6 (7-5) decision.
Wofford claimed the first two singles points at the No. 3 and No. 6 positions as Woods beat Emi Cosatto, 6-1, 6-1, and Caroline Blouin topped Zivic 6-4, 6-2.
Mercer then won three straight singles matches to claim the victory. Minetti defeated Agster 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 at the No. 5 spot, Lea Falentin defeated Brianna Wilbur 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 at No. 2, and Ristic defeated Breda Brennan 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 at the No. 1 position.
Singles competition
1. Teodora Ristic (MER) def. Breda Brennan (WOF) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
2. Lea Falentin (MER) def. Brianna Wilbur (WOF) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
3. Lily Woods (WOF) def. Emi Cosatto (MER) 6-1, 6-1
4. Emely Kahrs (WOF) vs. Marina Quinones (MER) 6-2, 5-7, 5-2, unfinished
5. Mariella Minetti (MER) def. Grace Agster (WOF) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
6. Catherine Blouin (WOF) def. Tea Zivic (MER) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Grace Agster/Lily Woods (WOF) def. Lea Falentin/Emi Cosatto (MER) 6-3
2. Teodora Ristic/Marina Quinones (MER) def. Breda Brennan/Brianna Wilbur (WOF) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Mariella Minetti/Tea Zivic (MER) def. Catherine Blouin/Emely Kahrs (WOF) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,6,5,2,1)
*****
No. 3 Samford 4, No. 6 Chattanooga 1
No. 3 seed Samford defeated host school Chattanooga, who was the sixth seed, in a 4-2 decision.
Samford grabbed the doubles decision, winning two of the three matches. Samford grabbed the win at the No. 3 position as Margaret Jaraczewski and Lauren Waddles defeating Margaret Manolache and Emma Pedretti 6-3. Chattanooga earned the next win with Rozalie Dohnalova and Alice Hall beating Alexis Lopez/Noelle Mauro 6-4. Emily Surcey and Grace Keller beat Caroline Gibbens and Emma Peeler 7-5 to clinch the doubles point for Samford.
Caroline Gibbens won the first point for Chattanooga, beating Surcey at the No. 2 position, 6-2, 6-2. Ally Hayduk answered for Samford with their second point at the No. 3 spot defeating Peeler 6-4, 6-2.
Meredith Taylor and Jaraczewski clinched the match for the Bulldogs. Taylor defeated Manolache 7-5, 6-1 at the No. 6 position and Jaraczewski won 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 over Pedretti at the No. 5 spot.
Singles competition
1. Rozalie Dohnalova (UTC) def. Alexis Lopez (SAM) 6-2, 6-6, unfinished
2. Caroline Gibbens (UTC) def. Emily Surcey (SAM) 6-2, 6-2
3. Ally Hayduk (SAM) def. Emma Peeler (UTC) 6-4, 6-2
4. Alice Hall (UTC) vs. Noelle Mauro (SAM) 4-6, 6-2, unfinished
5. Margaret Jaraczewski (SAM) def. Emma Pedretti (UTC) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0
6. Meredith Taylor (SAM) def. Margaret Manolache (UTC) 7-5, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Rozalie Dohnalova/Alice Hall (UTC) def. Alexis Lopez/Noelle Mauro (SAM) 6-4
2. Emily Surcey/Grace Keller (SAM) def. Caroline Gibbens/Emma Peeler (UTC) 7-5
3. Margaret Jaraczewski/Lauren Waddles (SAM) def. Margaret Manolache/Emma Pedretti (UTC) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,3,6,5)
*****
No. 2 Furman 4, No. 7 Western Carolina 0
Second-seeded Furman topped No. 7 seed Western Carolina 4-0 on Thursday.
The Paladin, who have reached the semifinals every year since the tournament moved to a team scoring format in 1998, claimed the doubles point and earned wins at the first, fifth, and sixth singles positions for the win.
Furman doubles tandems at the first and third positions took the point for the Paladins , with Ellie Schulson and Macy Hitchcock winning 6-4 at No. 1 and Grace Thomas/Alexa Griffith taking a 6-1 victory at No. 3.
Sara Snyder earned the first singles win for the Paladins at the No. 1 position defeating Isabella Sambola 6-1, 6-2. At the No. 5 spot, Marissa Pennings beat Andrea Redondo 6-1, 6-1. Jess Dawson clinched the match for Furman beating Dasha Osadova 6-4, 6-2.
Singles competition
1. Sara Snyder (FUR) def. Isabella Sambola (WCU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Ellie Schulson (FUR) vs. Jade Groen (WCU) 5-7, unfinished
3. Grace Thomas (FUR) vs. Angela Perez (WCU) 3-6, 3-2, unfinished
4. Macy Hitchcock (FUR) vs. Madison Schwarz (WCU) 6-7 (2-7), 1-1, unfinished
5. Marissa Pennings (FUR) def. Andrea Redondo (WCU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Jess Dawson (FUR) def. Dasha Osadova (WCU) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Ellie Schulson/Macy Hitchcock (FUR) def. Angela Perez/Isabella Sambola (WCU) 6-4
2. Jade Groen/Madison Schwarz (WCU) def. Sara Snyder/Jess Dawson (FUR) 6-4
3. Grace Thomas/Alexa Griffith (FUR) def. Dasha Osadova/Andrea Redondo (WCU) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,5,6)
*****
SoCon Women’s Tennis Championship
Chattanooga, Tenn. – Champions Club
Thursday, April 18
Match 1: No. 1 ETSU 4, No. 8 UNCG 0
Match 2: No. 5 Mercer 4, No. 4 Wofford 2
Match 3: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 6 Chattanooga 1
Match 4: No. 2 Furman 4, No. 7 Western Carolina 0
Friday, April 19
Match 5: No. 1 ETSU vs. No. 5 Mercer, 10 a.m.
Match 6: No. 3 Samford vs. No. 2 Furman, 10 a.m.
Saturday, April 20
Match 7: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 1 p.m.
No. 1 seed and defending champion ETSU will meet the No. 5 seed Mercer and No. 2 seed Furman will face the Bulldogs for the right to advance to Saturday’s title match.
No. 1 ETSU 4, No. 8 UNCG 0
Regular-season champion ETSU got its tournament title defense going with a shutout win over eighth-seeded UNCG.
The Buccaneers’ Fernanda Carvajal and Daniela Rivera earned a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles Jana Rovira and Ralitsa Alexandrova clinched the point, 6-2, at the No. 3 position.
Rivera doubled ETSU’s lead with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep over Juliana Craft at No. 3 singles and Alessandra Caceres made it 3-0 with her 6-2, 6-1 win over Lauren Thomson at No. 5. Carvajal clinched the match for the Bucs with her 6-2, 6-0 win over Alexandra Dodashev at No. 2.
ETSU has now reached the semifinals in each SoCon Championship since returning to the league in 2013.
Singles competition
1. Sofia Markova (ETSU) vs. Arina Babkova (UNCG) 6-6, unfinished
2. Fernanda Carvajal (ETSU) def. Alexandra Dodashev (UNCG) 6-2, 6-0
3. Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. Juliana Craft (UNCG) 6-0, 6-0
4. Jana Rovira (ETSU) vs. Olivia Gallagher (UNCG) 4-6, 1-2, unfinished
5. Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) def. Lauren Thomson (UNCG) 6-2, 6-1
6. Ralitsa Alexandrova (ETSU) vs. Liuna Urson (UNCG) 6-2, 3-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Fernanda Carvajal/Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. Arina Babkova/Raegan Mitchell (UNCG) 6-1
2. Sofia Markova/Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) vs. Lauren Thomson/Sydney Bly (UNCG) 5-2, unfinished
3. Jana Rovira/Ralitsa Alexandrova (ETSU) def. Juliana Craft/Ella Olexa (UNCG) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (3,5,2)
*****
No. 5 Mercer 4, No. 4 Wofford 2
Fifth-seeded Mercer upset No. 4 seed Wofford 4-2 on Thursday.
The Bears battled the Terriers through doubles play, securing the first doubles win as Mariella Minetti and Tea Zivic won 6-1.Wofford’s Grace Agster and Lily Woods then tied the match with a 6-3 win at the No. 1 position. Teodora Ristic and Marina de Diego Quinones then clinched the doubles point for the Bears with a 7-6 (7-5) decision.
Wofford claimed the first two singles points at the No. 3 and No. 6 positions as Woods beat Emi Cosatto, 6-1, 6-1, and Caroline Blouin topped Zivic 6-4, 6-2.
Mercer then won three straight singles matches to claim the victory. Minetti defeated Agster 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 at the No. 5 spot, Lea Falentin defeated Brianna Wilbur 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 at No. 2, and Ristic defeated Breda Brennan 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 at the No. 1 position.
Singles competition
1. Teodora Ristic (MER) def. Breda Brennan (WOF) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
2. Lea Falentin (MER) def. Brianna Wilbur (WOF) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
3. Lily Woods (WOF) def. Emi Cosatto (MER) 6-1, 6-1
4. Emely Kahrs (WOF) vs. Marina Quinones (MER) 6-2, 5-7, 5-2, unfinished
5. Mariella Minetti (MER) def. Grace Agster (WOF) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
6. Catherine Blouin (WOF) def. Tea Zivic (MER) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Grace Agster/Lily Woods (WOF) def. Lea Falentin/Emi Cosatto (MER) 6-3
2. Teodora Ristic/Marina Quinones (MER) def. Breda Brennan/Brianna Wilbur (WOF) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Mariella Minetti/Tea Zivic (MER) def. Catherine Blouin/Emely Kahrs (WOF) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,6,5,2,1)
*****
No. 3 Samford 4, No. 6 Chattanooga 1
No. 3 seed Samford defeated host school Chattanooga, who was the sixth seed, in a 4-2 decision.
Samford grabbed the doubles decision, winning two of the three matches. Samford grabbed the win at the No. 3 position as Margaret Jaraczewski and Lauren Waddles defeating Margaret Manolache and Emma Pedretti 6-3. Chattanooga earned the next win with Rozalie Dohnalova and Alice Hall beating Alexis Lopez/Noelle Mauro 6-4. Emily Surcey and Grace Keller beat Caroline Gibbens and Emma Peeler 7-5 to clinch the doubles point for Samford.
Caroline Gibbens won the first point for Chattanooga, beating Surcey at the No. 2 position, 6-2, 6-2. Ally Hayduk answered for Samford with their second point at the No. 3 spot defeating Peeler 6-4, 6-2.
Meredith Taylor and Jaraczewski clinched the match for the Bulldogs. Taylor defeated Manolache 7-5, 6-1 at the No. 6 position and Jaraczewski won 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 over Pedretti at the No. 5 spot.
Singles competition
1. Rozalie Dohnalova (UTC) def. Alexis Lopez (SAM) 6-2, 6-6, unfinished
2. Caroline Gibbens (UTC) def. Emily Surcey (SAM) 6-2, 6-2
3. Ally Hayduk (SAM) def. Emma Peeler (UTC) 6-4, 6-2
4. Alice Hall (UTC) vs. Noelle Mauro (SAM) 4-6, 6-2, unfinished
5. Margaret Jaraczewski (SAM) def. Emma Pedretti (UTC) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0
6. Meredith Taylor (SAM) def. Margaret Manolache (UTC) 7-5, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Rozalie Dohnalova/Alice Hall (UTC) def. Alexis Lopez/Noelle Mauro (SAM) 6-4
2. Emily Surcey/Grace Keller (SAM) def. Caroline Gibbens/Emma Peeler (UTC) 7-5
3. Margaret Jaraczewski/Lauren Waddles (SAM) def. Margaret Manolache/Emma Pedretti (UTC) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,3,6,5)
*****
No. 2 Furman 4, No. 7 Western Carolina 0
Second-seeded Furman topped No. 7 seed Western Carolina 4-0 on Thursday.
The Paladin, who have reached the semifinals every year since the tournament moved to a team scoring format in 1998, claimed the doubles point and earned wins at the first, fifth, and sixth singles positions for the win.
Furman doubles tandems at the first and third positions took the point for the Paladins , with Ellie Schulson and Macy Hitchcock winning 6-4 at No. 1 and Grace Thomas/Alexa Griffith taking a 6-1 victory at No. 3.
Sara Snyder earned the first singles win for the Paladins at the No. 1 position defeating Isabella Sambola 6-1, 6-2. At the No. 5 spot, Marissa Pennings beat Andrea Redondo 6-1, 6-1. Jess Dawson clinched the match for Furman beating Dasha Osadova 6-4, 6-2.
Singles competition
1. Sara Snyder (FUR) def. Isabella Sambola (WCU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Ellie Schulson (FUR) vs. Jade Groen (WCU) 5-7, unfinished
3. Grace Thomas (FUR) vs. Angela Perez (WCU) 3-6, 3-2, unfinished
4. Macy Hitchcock (FUR) vs. Madison Schwarz (WCU) 6-7 (2-7), 1-1, unfinished
5. Marissa Pennings (FUR) def. Andrea Redondo (WCU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Jess Dawson (FUR) def. Dasha Osadova (WCU) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Ellie Schulson/Macy Hitchcock (FUR) def. Angela Perez/Isabella Sambola (WCU) 6-4
2. Jade Groen/Madison Schwarz (WCU) def. Sara Snyder/Jess Dawson (FUR) 6-4
3. Grace Thomas/Alexa Griffith (FUR) def. Dasha Osadova/Andrea Redondo (WCU) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,5,6)
*****
SoCon Women’s Tennis Championship
Chattanooga, Tenn. – Champions Club
Thursday, April 18
Match 1: No. 1 ETSU 4, No. 8 UNCG 0
Match 2: No. 5 Mercer 4, No. 4 Wofford 2
Match 3: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 6 Chattanooga 1
Match 4: No. 2 Furman 4, No. 7 Western Carolina 0
Friday, April 19
Match 5: No. 1 ETSU vs. No. 5 Mercer, 10 a.m.
Match 6: No. 3 Samford vs. No. 2 Furman, 10 a.m.
Saturday, April 20
Match 7: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 1 p.m.