Women’s Tennis Travels to Chapel Hill for ITA Regionals

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Four Western Carolina women's tennis student-athletes are set to close out the fall slate for the Catamounts beginning Thursday at the ITA Carolina Regionals, hosted by the University of North Carolina at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill.

The four Catamounts include junior Angela Perez along with sophomores Jade Groen, Isabella Sambola, and Leilany Ipunesso. WCU is also slated to compete in the doubles portion of the regionals with Perez pairing up with Groen and Sambola and Ipunesso set to compete as a doubles team.

The Catamounts have been dominant in singles play throughout the fall including the play of the four players traveling to Chapel Hill. Both Groen and Sambola have 6-0 marks in singles matches highlighted by five wins apiece in straight sets. Groen has earned wins at the No. 1 position in straight sets against Kennesaw State, East Carolina, Longwood and Hampton while picking up a two-set win at No. 2 against Gardner-Webb.

Sambola grabbed a pair of straight set wins at No. 2 against Kennesaw State during the WCU Fall Invitational last month. She also grabbed wins at the No. 2 spot in straight sets against Longwood and Hampton while picking up one at the top spot against Gardner-Webb.

Ipunesso has seen time in the fall playing primarily fourth with one match in the five spot for the Catamounts recording a 3-1 singles record with a pair of wins over Kennesaw State in Cullowhee.

Perez rounds out the foursome for WCU headed to ITA's and the junior has picked up three singles wins in five tries this fall including wins over Longwood, Kennesaw State and Gardner-Webb.

Perez and Groen have paired up together three times in the fall playing doubles matches with a win coming 6-0 in last weekend's action in Greensboro battling the host Spartans. Perez has also paired up with classmates Dasha Osadova and Ipunesso earning wins with both of them earlier in the fall to sit with three doubles wins during the fall campaign.

Sambola and Ipunesso have paired together four times in doubles matches this fall with the duo earning wins already against East Carolina and Kennesaw State. Sambola also earned a victory against Gardner-Webb playing with Chloe Schwarz.

Following the conclusion of the ITA Carolina Regionals for the Catamounts, WCU tennis will turn it's attention to the spring 2024 season with the schedule to be released later in the calendar year.

For the latest information on Catamount women's tennis, follow @catamounts or @catamountTennis on Twitter or go to www.CatamountSports.com. In-match updates can be found on the Catamount women's tennis official tennis Twitter page.

SCHEDULED FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS
- Leilany Ipunesso/Isabella Sambola (WCU) vs Claudia Sanchez/Valentina De Sousa (PC)
- Jade Groen/Angela Perez (WCU) vs Alejandra Hidalgo Vega/Jade Houston (NCCU)
- Isabella Sambola (WCU) vs Kassandrao DiStaulo (CSU)
- Angela Perez (WCU) vs Anna Fijalkowska (N.C. A&T)
- Jade Groen (WCU) vs Sibel Tanik (Elon)
- Leilany Ipunesso (WCU) vs Lilianna Chitambar (CAM)

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Players Mentioned

Jade Groen: 5' 9"; Sophomore

Chloe Schwarz: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Dasha Osadova: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Angela Perez: 5' 5"; Junior

Isabella Sambola: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jade Groen
: 5' 9"; Sophomore

Chloe Schwarz
: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Dasha Osadova
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Angela Perez
: 5' 5"; Junior

Isabella Sambola
: 5' 6"; Sophomore