Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's tennis returns to action on Monday, Jan. 20, as it travels to Alabama to face the 12th-ranked Auburn Tigers in a doubleheader to open the 2025 spring season. The matches are scheduled for 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT and 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT at Auburn's Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The road match-ups mark the first meetings between the two programs in women's tennis.
The Tigers already have three matches under their belt in the spring semester, going 3-0 with victories over North Alabama, UAB, and Tuskegee. Auburn picked up 6-1 wins over North Alabama and UAB and a straight-set, 7-0 victory over Tuskegee. The Catamounts haven't been in game action since the UTR College Circuit in November and look to knock the rust off in the opening twin bill against the Tigers.
Monday's Matchups:
Western Carolina (0-0) at Auburn (3-0)
Jan. 19, 2025, | 11:00 a.m. ET & 3:00 p.m. ET | Yarbrough Tennis Center | Auburn, Ala.
Watch: https://tinyurl.com/bdpz4n5s
Live Stats (Game #1): https://tinyurl.com/5n7u6uxh
Live Stats (Game #2): https://tinyurl.com/bdddnkt9
Players to Watch:
The Catamounts return the entirety of their 2024 lineup for 2025, led by standouts Isabella Sambola and Jade Groen. The two combined for 24 wins across the top and second courts last season with Groen earning Southern Conference Player of the Month honors for March and a spot on the All-SoCon second team.
WCU's roster now fields a pair of seniors in Andrea Redondo and Angela Perez, both who are looking to bring a veteran presence to the courts with 52 career wins combined. Additionally, Chloe Schwarz and Maddison Schwarz have an opportunity to build off strong performances last season when in the lineup together. The sisters went 7-2 as a double pairing last season, recording the second-highest win total on the team despite not playing together most of the latter half of the season due to injury.
Rounding out the Catamount roster are Dasha Osadova and freshman Zoe Lui. Osadova appeared in a career-high 21 matches for the Catamounts last season, picking up five singles wins on the sixth court. The top-ranked freshman out of Arizona, Lui made her first appearance in the purple and gold at the ITA Division I fall regionals and looks to continue to gain on-court experience and build upon her fall performance this spring.
One of six 2024 NCAA tournament teams on the schedule for the Catamounts this season, Auburn is led by junior DJ Bennett who was an NCAA singles finalist last season. She's posted a 39-13 singles record throughout her career and has gone 2-0 in her top court appearances this season.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Catamounts are scheduled to return home to host Young Harris in nonconference action on Jan. 25. WCU then hits the road to take on the Davidson Wildcats on Feb. 1 before returning home for three straight matches with Tusculum (Feb.3), Appalachian State (Feb. 8), and Presbyterian (Feb. 9).
