Box Score Feb. 24, 2018
Final Stats
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -
The Western Carolina women’s tennis team finished up its three-match home stand Saturday afternoon with a 6-1 victory over visiting USC Upstate. The win evens out the Catamounts record to 3-3 while sophomore Jordan Strickland remained undefeated in singles play on the season earning her sixth-straight win.
“Overall that was the most complete match we’ve played all year,” said head coach Michaela Kissell-Eddins. “USC Upstate is a solid team and to pull off a 6-1 win after two tough 4-3 losses is a true testament to our girls’ resolve. Starting with doubles we played aggressive and confidently, even when things got tricky, and ultimately that made the difference in securing that point. In singles, each of our girls showed up ready to fight for every single point. That mindset and focus is what we need to keep up if we want to achieve our goals for the rest of the spring.”
The Catamounts opened the match with a dominating performance on the doubles courts as all three pairs earned victories. Junior Savannah Taranto and Strickland teamed up at No. 1 to get things started as they earned a 6-3 victory. Freshmen Carli Deehr and Caitlin Ward clinched the point with a 6-2 victory at No. 3 while freshman Jordyn King and sophomore Lauren McCall topped off the doubles with a 6-2 win of their own at No. 2.
WCU quickly went up 2-0 in the match after Deehr improved to 4-1 on the season with a 6-3, 6-3 straight set victory at No. 6 singles. USC Upstate picked up its lone point of the match at No. 4 singles with a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Strickland put the Catamounts ahead 3-1 as she won at No. 2, 7-5, 6-2. The clincher would come from freshman Jordyn King who came from behind in the second set to earn a 6-0, 6-4 win for the Catamounts.
With the match in hand, junior Alexa Webb and sophomore Lauren McCall closed out their matches to close out the 6-1 victory. Webb won at No. 5, 6-3, 6-4 for her third victory of the season while McCall had to go to a pair of tiebreaks to improve to 5-1 on the year. McCall won 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) at No. 3 singles for the Catamounts. It was McCall’s first match at No. 3 this season for WCU after spending most of the year at No. 4 and No. 5.
The Catamounts will now head south for a trio of matches in Orlando, Fla., during their annual spring break trip to Florida. WCU will take on Creighton, Hampton and Niagara while on the road.