Box Score

Feb. 29, 2004

Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Western Carolina women's tennis team claimed two of three doubles matches for the first point and ran away with four singles victories to claim the 5-2 win over Gardner-Webb Saturday, Feb. 28. With the win, the Catamounts improve to 2-1 on the season as they head into a key Southern Conference match-up Friday, Mar. 5, with the College of Charleston, picked as one of two favorites to win the league championship this season.

The tandem of Rocio Perez and Erin Johnson defeated GW's Molly Hoeffner and Lorielle Ferlita, 8-4, while Catamounts Kristin Munn and Elysa Montgomery dropped an 8-4 decision to Elena Iltcheva and Carrie Yerkes. In the deciding contest, it was WCU duo Kristin Cotton and Katie VanEwyk who escaped with a 9-8(1) victory over Melissa DeJong and Sara Zirnheld to take the match's first point.

In singles action, it was top seeded Munn and second seeded Perez who came out with wins as well as Cotton and VanEwyk in the fourth and fifth positions. Perez completed the shutout of Hoeffner, 6-0, 6-0, the first time a Catamount has accomplished that feat this season. Johnson fell in three sets to Ferlita, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and Montgomery lost to Yerkes, 6-1, 6-2.

Western Carolina will square off against the Cougars in Charleston at 1:30 pm on Friday before heading over to Statesboro, Ga., on Saturday (Mar. 6) to face Georgia Southern at 2:30 pm.

WESTERN CAROLINA 5, GARDNER-WEBB 2

DOUBLES

Perez/Johnson (WCU) def. Hoeffner/Ferlita (GW); 8-4 Cotton/VanEwyk (WCU) def. DeJong/Zirnheld (GW); 9-8(1) Iltcheva/Yerkes (GW) def. Munn/Montgomery (WCU); 8-4

SINGLES Kristin Munn (WCU) def. Melissa DeJong (GW); 6-2, 6-3 Rocio Perez (WCU) def. Molly Hoeffner (GW); 6-0, 6-0 Lorielle Ferlita (GW) def. Erin Johnson (WCU); 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Kristin Cotton (WCU) def. Sara Zirnheld (GW); 6-1, 6-1 Katie VanEwyk (WCU) def. Elena Iltcheva (GW); 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Carrie Yerkes (GW) def. Elysa Montgomery (WCU); 6-1, 6-2

RECORD Gardner-Webb 2-8 Western Carolina 2-1