Box Score
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Terriers grabbed their ninth win of the season Wednesday afternoon against the Western Carolina Catamounts. WCU held a distinct disadvantage, playing with a five player roster for the match. Even with the Catamounts having to forfeit a singles and doubles match, the Terriers still dominated the courts at Reeves Tennis Center, winning every singles match played.
The Terriers move to a 9-5 (2-0 SoCon record), while the Catamounts drop to a 2-7 (1-4 SoCon) standing on the season.
"Today was a solid win for us. We had to overcome a lot of obstacles to win this match, and the girls were amazing," commented Coach Hangstefer after the conclusion of the match.
Haley Baird and Guinn Garcia took a loss at the top doubles spot. After a tight finish, the Catamounts came out on top with an 8-7 (2) victory. Sarah Evans and Julia Paulson earned their seventh doubles win of the season, pushing past Izabella Glinska and Karen Jimenez, 8-3, at the No. 2 spot.
Without their sixth player, the Catamounts were forced to forfeit the final doubles match, giving the Terriers the win at the No. 3 spot and the overall doubles point victory.
Coach Hangstefer made some changes in singles play due to the Catamount roster, letting Guinn Garcia take a break from her normal No. 2 spot and bumping everyone else up a spot.
Emilia Milovanovic started at her normal No. 1 position and quickly defeated Glinska 6-0, 6-1. Lucy Schermerhorn earned her third singles win of the season, starting at the no. 5 spot. The 6-1, 6-2 win over WCU’s Katie Barry keeps Schermerhorn undefeated in singles at 3-0.
Evans finished next at the No. 3 spot against Iglesias. Evans easily swept past her opposition 6-2, 6-0. Paulson also won in straight sets, defeating Jimenez 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 4 spot. Team captain, Haley Baird, earned her ninth singles win after defeating Lainez. The first set finished close, but Baird finished strong, winning 7-6 (6), 6-1.
The Terriers currently have some of the best results in Southern Conference play. Milovanovic and Paulson tie for first in the Southern Conference with ten wins each in singles. Baird and Evans are right behind them, tied at second for the most singles wins in the SoCon with nine wins each. Baird and doubles partner, Garcia, are the leaders in the SoCon with the most doubles wins. They are at the top spot with eight doubles wins as a duo.
The Terriers will finish their final two non-conference matches, before entering the remainder of the conference matches to conclude the season. The Terriers have their best non-conference record in three years, with seven of the nine wins being out of conference. The final two conference foes will be a double-header against Washington & Lee and Emory this Saturday, March 19th, starting at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
