Cullowhee, N.C. - The Western Carolina women's tennis team returns home for a week of home matches, starting with a nonconference matchup with mountain-rival UNC Asheville scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, on the courts at the Catamount Athletics Complex.

Tuesday's Matchup 

Western Carolina (8-9, 0-3 SoCon) vs UNC Asheville (10-2, 2-0 Big South) 

March 19 | 2:00 p.m. | Catamount Athletics Complex | Cullowhee, N.C. 

Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/2fjwj67p 

Last Time Out 

Despite victorious efforts by Isabella Sambola and Jade Groen in their respective singles matches and the Catamounts winning their first doubles point since the win at Gardner-Webb, Western Carolina fell in a conference matchup with UNCG last Saturday in Greensboro. The 4-3 decision came as the Spartans claimed wins on four of the six singles courts, though Dasha Osadova and Andrea Redondo forced three-set matches on courts six and five respectively.  

UNC Asheville most recently earned a 7-0 home sweep against Big South foe, Longwood. Before their dominant home victory, Asheville had an eight-match win streak snapped by the Wofford Terriers in a tight 4-3 match.  

Players to Watch 

Jade Groen remains a name to watch as the sophomore from The Netherlands was the only Catamount to emerge unblemished from last week's matches with Mercer and UNCG. Groen picked up both of her singles victories in straight sets and went 2-0 with her doubles partner Madison Schwarz. In addition, Isabella Sambola returned to her winning ways after a three-match slide, posting scores of 6-4 and 6-3 in her sixth straight-set victory of the season.  

Two Bulldogs have reached the double-digit singles wins mark on the season as Angelina Joy Hug and Alexis Nyborg have posted 10-1 and 12-1 records, respectively. Nyborg has enjoyed all 12 of her victories on the third court. Both of their losses came from SoCon opponents as Nyborg fell in singles to Furman and Hug dropped her match with Wofford.  

Common Opponents 

The Catamounts and the Bulldogs have played five common opponents (UNCG, Davidson, Queens, Kennesaw State, and Gardner-Webb) with Asheville holding a 4-1 record in those five matches compared to WCU's 3-2 record. The biggest differences between the records would be in their matches with Davidson and Kennesaw State. The Catamounts picked up a 6-1 home win over Davidson but fell by the same score at home to Kennesaw State. Asheville fought to a 4-3 win over the Owls but also lost by the same score to Davidson.  

Series History 

The two North Carolina system schools have shared the courts 44 times with the Catamounts taking 17 of those matchups to UNC Asheville's 27. The Bulldogs are currently on a two-match run in the series, though the last meeting in Cullowhee was a tight 4-3 decision in the visitor's favor. The last Purple and Gold victory in the series came in 2021 as the Catamounts stole a 5-2 match in Asheville.  

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