Complete Results

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Playing just its third home match of the year, the Western Carolina women's tennis team lost its home Southern Conference opener to East Tennessee State University, 6-1. The Catamounts drop to 1-1 in conference play with the loss while the Bucs improved to 2-0.

Junior Nicole Nielly picked up WCU's lone win on the day as she toppled Melissa Esguerra 7-5, 6-4 in the No. 3 singles match. Nielly fell behind 5-3 in the opening set but rattled off four-straight games to take the opening set 7-5. In the second set she took an early 2-1 lead and the two traded games until it was 5-4. It was Nielly's serve and she took the game to capture the set 6-4.

The victory was Nielly's fifth of the season as she holds a 5-6 singles record.

Another great battle happened at No. 2 doubles as junior Shannon Bettiol fell in a thriller 6-7 (5), 6-4, 10-5 to ETSU's Ana Gerbasi. The first set was back-and-forth. Bettiol took the early 3-2 lead but Gerbasi battled back to take a 5-3 lead. Bettiol then took the next three games to go up 6-5 but Gerbasi tied the set with a win in the 12th game. Bettiol took the first three points in the tiebreaker before Gerbasi picked up a point. The two traded points until it was 6-4 in Bettiol's favor. Gerbasi won the next point to make it 6-5 but Bettiol was able to close out the tiebreaker with a point on the next serve to capture a 7-5 victory.

Bettiol took an early lead in the second set at 3-2 but Gerbasi was able to claim four of the next five sets to take a 6-4 win. At the end of the second set the overall match had already been decided so Bettiol and Gerbasi went into a 10-point tiebreaker. Bettiol was able to take a 6-5 lead but Gerbasi claimed the final five points to win the match 10-6.

The No. 2 doubles match was also a tight one as ETSU claimed the victory over Nielly and freshman Montse Mesalles 8-7 (4). ETSU took a quick 2-0 lead in the match but the Catamounts answered with three-straight games to take a 3-2 lead. The two teams traded the next two sets to make it 4-3 in favor of WCU. ETSU then went on a four-game winning streak to take a commanding 7-4 lead but Nielly and Mesalles did not give up. They broke ETSU serve twice and Mesalles served a winning game to tie the set at seven.

In the tiebreaker the two traded the first six serves to sit tied at three. ETSU then won four of the next five serves to claim the tiebreak victory, 7-4.

Senior Megan McLinden and Bettiol dropped the No. 1 doubles match 8-2 which secured the doubles point for ETSU.

McLinden saw her singles winning streak come to an end as she fell at No.1 to Lyn Yee Choo 6-4, 6-2. McLinden is now 8-3 overall in singles action this season.

Junior Erin Maguire fell at No. 4 to Ioanna Markesini 6-3, 6-4 while Mesalles fell at No. 5 to Jayde Viccars 6-0, 6-0.

The Catamounts fall to 3-8 overall and 1-1 in conference play while the Buccaneers improve to 8-3 overall and 2-0 in SoCon action.

WCU will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as they take on UNCG at 2 pm at the Catamount Athletic Complex. The Spartans are 5-6 overall and 1-1 in Southern Conference play.