Cullowhee, N.C. -- Western Carolina women's tennis weathered an early storm in Chattanooga before Jade Groen, Madison Schwarz, Andrea Redondo, and Angela Perez each picked up critical singles wins to give the Catamounts a 4-3 win over the Mocs.
The Catamounts trailed 1-0 early in the regular-season finale as the home team picked up the early doubles point. While WCU ultimately dropped the doubles matches on courts one and two, court three provided a much-needed spark as Andrea Redondo and Dasha Osadova battled to pick up a 7-6 win, avoiding the doubles sweep. Jade Groen and Madison Schwarz nearly came away with a doubles victory of their own on court two but fell in a 7-5 bout.
Groen quickly evened the match at one apiece with her seventh straight singles win. Her 6-1, 6-2 victory was her 15th solo win of the season and her 13th that came in straight sets.
The Mocs fought back out in front following the decision on court one and eventually grew their lead to 3-1 as Dasha Osadova fell in a 7-6 (7-3) tiebreaker in her second set. However, the rest of the day belonged to the Catamounts as Andrea Redondo, Madison Schwarz, and Angela Perez rattled off three consecutive singles wins to clinch the match.
Redondo fought to claim the early advantage in her singles match, taking the first set in a 7-6 (7-9) tiebreaker before cruising in the second set 6-2. Madison Schwarz found herself in her team-leading eighth three-set match after a narrow set one defeat. The sophomore claimed the singles win convincingly with 6-1 wins in both set two and three.
With the match tied at three apiece, Angela Perez picked up the final point of the day. Perez took an early edge thanks to a 6-4 win in set one, but Chattanooga's Carolina Gibbens fought back with a 6-3 win of her own in set two. The third set belonged to Perez as the junior Catamount rallied with a 6-3 win as WCU picked up their first conference win of the season.
According to Perez who collected the match-clinching point, the Catamounts' first league win at Chattanooga couldn't have come at a better time.
"We just needed a win before going to the tournament," said Perez. "It was so tough to lose when we were so close. And thanks to the support of my team, I got through this match. There's no better way to end the season than this, so let's get to the tournament and see what happens there."
The Catamounts now have an opportunity to rest and watch as the rest of the Southern Conference finishes up their 2023-24 regular seasons. WCU sits half a game in arrears of both UTC and UNCG, splitting with the two in the regular season head-to-head meetings. UNCG closes next Saturday (April 13) at third-place Samford while the Mocs host fifth-place Mercer next weekend in the Scenic City.
Western Carolina will be back in action for the SoCon tournament scheduled for April 18-20 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Doubles Results
No. 1 – R. Dohnalova/ A. Hall (UTC) def. Isabella Sambola/Angela Perez (WCU) 6-1
No. 2 – C. Gibbens/E. Peeler (UTC) def. Jade Groen/Madison Schwarz (WCU) 7-5
No. 3 – Andrea Redondo/Dasha Osadova (WCU) def. M. Orlova/E. Pedretti (UTC) 7-6
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles Results
No. 1- R. Dohnalova (UTC) def. Isabella Sambola (WCU) 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 – Jade Groen (WCU) def. M. Orlova (UTC) 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 – Angela Perez (WCU) def. C. Gibbens (UTC) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
No. 4 – Madison Schwarz (WCU) def. E. Peeler (UTC) 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 – Andrea Redondo (WCU) def. A. Hall (UTC) 7-6 (7-9), 6-2
No. 6 – E. Pedretti (UTC) def. Dasha Osadova (WCU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 6, 5, 4, 3
SoCon Standings
1. ETSU 5-0 (12-7)
2. Furman 6-0 (10-11)
3. Samford 3-2 (7-10)
4. Wofford 4-3 (14-6)
5. Mercer 3-3 (12-7)
6. Chattanooga 1-5 (8-12)
7. UNCG 1-5 (3-17)
8. Western Carolina 1-6 (9-13)
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.
