#38 Furman Edges ETSU 4-3 in Thrilling SoCon Tennis Match

Chattanooga, Tenn. - In a down to the wire Southern Conference tennis showdown at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 38th-ranked Furman women's tennis team secured a hard-fought 4-3 victory over ETSU for their 22^nd tournament title.

The Paladins started strong by capturing the doubles point with wins on the top two courts. The duo of Ellie Schulson and Sara Snyder set the tone with a 7-5 victory at No. 1 doubles over Daniela River and Alessandra Caceres, while Jess Dawson and Macy Hitchcock sealed the point with a 7-6(4) win at No. 2 against Jana Rovira and Julia Millan.

In singles play, Furman quickly extended their lead when Jess Dawson defeated Jana Rovira 7-5, 6-4 at the No. 3 position. ETSU responded with Julia Millan defeating Ellie Schulson 6-3, 6-3 at No. 4 to narrow the gap to 2-1.

The momentum continued to shift as ETSU's Ksenija Rage beat Grace Thomas 6-2, 6-3 at No. 6 singles to level the match score at 2-2. ETSU then took the lead when Daniela Rivera bested Sara Snyder in a three-set battle at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Macy Hitchcock delivered a crucial win at No. 5 singles, overcoming Ralitsa Alexandrova 7-6(7-5), 6-2 to even the score at 3-3.

The match came down to the No. 2 singles court, where Furman's Marissa Pennings triumphed in a three-set thriller against Alessandra Caceres. After dropping the second set, Pennings regrouped to secure a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory, clinching the overall match win for the Paladins.

Grace Thomas earned the Pinnacle Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team. The Neuroscience major from Sunshine Coast, Australia, boasts a 4.0 GPA.
 
The Paladins, who earned the SoCon’s automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships, will learn their postseason fate on Monday, April 28, with an announcement on NCAA.com at 5 p.m.

Singles Competition
1. Daniela Rivera (ETSU) def. Sara Snyder (FUR) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

2. Marissa Pennings (FUR) def. Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2

3. Jess Dawson (FUR) def. Jana Rovira (ETSU) 7-5, 6-4

4. Julia Millan (ETSU) def. Ellie Schulson (FUR) 6-3, 6-3

5. Macy Hitchcock (FUR) def. Ralitsa Alexandrova (ETSU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2

6. Ksenija Rage (ETSU) def. Grace Thomas (FUR) 6-2, 6-3

Doubles Competition
1. Ellie Schulson/Sara Snyder (FUR) def. Daniela Rivera/Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) 7-5

2. Jess Dawson/Macy Hitchcock (FUR) def. Jana Rovira/Julia Millan (ETSU) 7-6 (7-4)

3. Alexa Griffith/Marissa Pennings (FUR) vs. Ralitsa Alexandrova/Ksenija Rage (ETSU) 5-6, unfinished

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 4, No. 4 Western Carolina 0 

Match 6: No. 2 ETSU 4 vs. No. 3 Wofford 2 

Saturday, April 19

Match 7: No. 1 Furman 4 vs. No. 2 ETSU 3