Women’s Tennis Championship day one complete

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 Furman 4, No. 8 UNCG 0
 
Regular-season champion Furman got its tournament title chase going with a shutout win over eighth-seeded UNCG.
 
The Paladins’ Alexa Giffith and Marissa Pennings earned a 6-0 win at No. 3 doubles over Lauren Thompson and Ella Olexa of UNCG. Jess Dawson and Macy Hitchcock defeated Raegan Mitchell and Sydney Bly 6-4 at the No. 2 position to claim the doubles point.
 
Dawson doubled Furman’s lead with a 6-2, 6-1 sweep over Thompson at No. 3 singles and all-conference first-team pick Sara Snyder made it 3-0 with her 6-2, 6-1 win over Olivia Gallagher at No. 1. Hitchcock clinched the match for the Paladins with her 6-1, 6-2 win over Elisabeth Birkevold at No. 5.
 
Furman has now reached the semifinals in each SoCon Championship since the tournament format changed in 1998. 

Singles competition
1. Sara Snyder (FUR) def. Olivia Gallagher (UNCG) 6-2, 6-1
2. Marissa Pennings (FUR) vs. Alexandra Dodashev (UNCG) 6-1, 5-1, unfinished
3. Jess Dawson (FUR) def. Lauren Thompson (UNCG) 6-2, 6-1
4. Ellie Schulson (FUR) vs. Sydney Bly (UNCG) 6-6, unfinished
5. Macy Hitchcock (FUR) def. Elisabeth Birkevold (UNCG) 6-1, 6-2
6. Grace Thomas (FUR) vs. Luna Urso (UNCG) 6-4, 2-1, unfinished
 
Doubles competition
1. Ellie Schulson/Sara Snyder (FUR) vs. Olivia Gallagher/Alexandra Dodashev (UNCG) 5-5, unfinished
2. Jess Dawson/Macy Hitchcock (FUR) def. Raegan Mitchell/Sydney Bly (UNCG) 6-4
3. Alexa Griffith/Marissa Pennings (FUR) def. Lauren Thompson/Ella Olexa (UNCG) 6-0
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,1,5)
 
*****
 
No. 4 Western Carolina 4, No. 5 Mercer 0
 
Fourth-seeded Western Carolina beat No. 5 seed Mercer 4-0 on Thursday.
 
The Catamounts won at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions to secure the doubles point as Chloe Schwarz and Jade Groen, a first-team all-conference duo, defeated Emelia Cosatto and Tea Zivic, 6-3 and Madison Schwarz and Angela Perez took a 6-4 victory against Dzhastina Mikhova and Marie Bannmeyer, respectively.
 
Western Carolina swept through singles play, defeating the Bears at the No. 1, 5, and 2 positions. At No. 1, Groen beat Marina de Diego Quinones 6-3, 6-0, while Perez grabbed a 6-1, 6-2 win over Marie Bannmeyer. Isabella Sambola clinched the match for Western Carolina with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Emilia Cosatto.
 
Singles competition
1. Jade Groen (WCU) def. Marina D. Quinones (MER) 6-3, 6-0
2. Isabella Sambola (WCU) def. Emilia Cosatto (MER) 6-3, 6-3
3. Tea Zivic (MER) vs. Chloe Schwarz (WCU) no result
4. Madison Schwarz (WCU) vs. Dzhastina Mikhnova (MER) 6-2, 4-6, 0-1, unfinished
5. Angela Perez (WCU) def. Marie Bannmeyer (MER) 6-1, 6-2
6. Hokualohi Lui (WCU) vs. Jelena Gojkovic (MER) 6-0, 3-6, 0-2, unfinished

 
Doubles competition
1. Chloe Schwarz/Jade Groen (WCU) def. Emilia Cosatto/Tea Zivic (MER) 6-3
2. Isabella Sambola/Andrea Redondo (WCU) vs. Marina D. Quinones/Ines H. Fernandez (MER) 5-5, unfinished
3. Madison Schwarz/Angela Perez (WCU) def. Dzhastina Mikhnova/Marie Bannmeyer (MER) 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,5,2)


*****
 
No. 3 Wofford 4, No. 6 Chattanooga 0
 
No. 3 seed Wofford defeated host school Chattanooga, who was the sixth seed, in a 4-0 decision.
 
Wofford grabbed the doubles decision, winning two of the three matches. The Terriers logged the win at the No. 3 position as Chloe Eliott and Brianna Wilbur defeated Margaret Manolache and Zara Burns, 6-1. Chattanooga earned the next win with Emma Pedretti and Savanah Presson beating Grace Agster and Catherine Blouin, 6-2. Breda Brennan and Lily Woods won at No. 1 against Rozalie Dohnalova and Alice Hall, 6-2, to clinch the doubles point for Wofford.

Blouin won the first point for Wofford, beating Burns at the No. 4 position, 6-1, 6-2. Woods and Elliott clinched the match for the Terriers. Woods defeated Pedretti 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 3 position and Elliott won 6-3, 6-4 over Manolache at the No. 6 spot.

Singles competition
1. Breda Brennan (WOF) vs. Rozalie Dohnalova (UTC) 6-4, 2-5, unfinished
2. Brianna Wilbur (WOF) vs. Savannah Presson (UTC) 1-6, 5-4, unfinished
3. Lily Woods (WOF) def. Emma Pedretti (UTC) 6-0, 6-4
4. Catherine Blouin (WOF) def. Zara Burns (UTC) 6-1, 6-2
5. Grace Agster (WOF) vs. Alice Hall (UTC) 7-6, 2-1, unfinished
6. Chloe Elliott (WOF) def. Margaret Manolache (UTC) 6-3, 6-4
 
Doubles competition
1. Breda Brennan/Lily Woods (WOF) def. Rozalie Dohnalova/Alice Hall (UTC) 6-2
2. Emma Pedretti/Savannah Presson (UTC) def. Grace Agster/Catherine Blouin (WOF) 6-2
3. Chloe Elliott/Brianna Wilbur (WOF) def. Margaret Manolache/Zara Burns (UTC) 6-1
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,3,6)
 
*****
 
No. 2 ETSU 4, No. 7 Samford 0
 
Second-seeded ETSU topped No. 7 seed Samford 4-0 on Thursday.
 
The Bucs, who have reached the semifinals every year since joining the league in 2014, claimed the doubles point and earned wins at the sixth, first, and fifth positions for the win.
 
ETSU doubles tandems at the second and third positions took the point for the Bucs , with Jana Rovira and Julia Millan winning, 6-2, over Margaret Jaraczewski and Hailey Troup at No. 2 and Ralitsa Alexandrova and Ksenija Rage defeated Emeni Liakonis and Meredith Taylor at No. 3, 6-2.

Rage earned the first singles win for the Buccaneers at the No. 6 position defeating Troup 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 6 spot. Daniela Rivera beat Emily Surcey 6-2, 6-3 at the No.1 spot and Ralitsa Alexandrova clinched the match for ETSU beating Sara Erenda 6-0, 6-3.

Singles competition
1. Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. Emily Surcey (SAM) 6-2, 6-3
2. Margaret Jaraczewski (SAM) vs. Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) no result
3. Eleni Liakonis (SAM) vs. Jana Rovira (ETSU) no result
4. Meredith Taylor (SAM) vs. Julia Millan (ETSU) no result
5. Ralitsa Alexandrova (ETSU) def. Sara Erenda (SAM) 6-0, 6-3
6. Ksenija Rage (ETSU) def. Hailey Troup (SAM) 6-1, 6-0
 
Doubles competition
1. Daniela Rivera/Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) vs. Emily Surcey/Sara Erenda (SAM) 5-2, unfinished
2. Jana Rovira/Julia Millan (ETSU) def. Margaret Jaraczewski/Hailey Troup (SAM) 6-2
3. Ralitsa Alexandrova/Ksenija Rage (ETSU) def. Eleni Liakonis/Meredith Taylor (SAM) 6-2 

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,1,5)
 
*****
 
SoCon Women’s Tennis Championship
Chattanooga, Tenn. – Champions Club
Thursday, April 17

Match 1: No. 1 Furman 4, No. 8 UNCG 0 

Match 2: No. 4 Western Carolina 4, No. 5 Mercer 0

Match 3: No. 3 Wofford 4, No. 6 Chattanooga 0

Match 4: No. 2 ETSU 4, No. 7 Samford 0 

Friday, April 18

Match 5: No. 1 Furman vs. No. 4 Western Carolina, 2:00 p.m. 

Match 6: No. 2 ETSU vs. No. 3 Wofford, 2:00 p.m. 

Saturday, April 19

Match 7: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 1 p.m.