CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's tennis team begins their pursuit of a Southern Conference crown on Thursday at 3 p.m. as the seventh-seeded Catamounts battle No. 2 seed ETSU in a quarterfinal match. The tournament is being held at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.
 
Live results for the match will be available via a link on catamountsports.com.
 
WCU won a school record 14 matches during the 2023 season, finishing the regular season with a 14-9 record. The Catamounts clinched their record-setting match with a 4-3 home victory over Samford on April 15. Isabella Sambola was selected as the league's Freshman of the Year and is the first player in program history to accomplish the feat. Sambola along with Jade Groen and Leilany Ipunesso earned spots on the All-Freshman Team. Additionally, Groen and Andrea Redondo earned Second Team All-Conference laurels at No. 3 doubles.
 
ETSU enters Thursday's match with a 16-7 overall record and a 6-1 mark in league matches after dropping the season finale 4-3 at regular season champion Furman. The Bucs are led by league Player of the Year Laylo Bakhodirova with Ricky Rojas tabbed as the Coach of the Year. On April 11 in Cullowhee, ETSU claimed a 7-0 victory over the Catamounts.
 
The winner of the ETSU/WCU quarterfinal match faces the winner of the quarterfinal match between No. 3 Samford and No. 6 Wofford on Friday at 2 p.m. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
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.