Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's tennis team is back in action against tough nonconference competition on Saturday afternoon as the Catamounts travel to Columbia, S.C., to face both the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in doubleheader action.
The ACC and SEC foes open play against one another at 10:30 a.m. before the Catamounts battle Wake Forest at 1:30 p.m. WCU then faces the host school USC at 4:30 p.m.
The Demon Deacons have been busy opening the 2025 season as they already have nine matches under their belt and boast a 7-2 record. Their only losses have been 4-3 decisions favoring Tennessee and the Marshall Thundering Herd. Wake has a pair of wins over Southern Conference competition already this season, blanking ETSU 7-0 and downing Furman, 4-1.
The Gamecocks and Catamounts are similar in their respective season progression as the two teams hold records of 3-3 and 4-3, respectively. WCU comes into the weekend after splitting home results their last time out, falling 6-1 to Appalachian State and bouncing back with a 6-1 win over the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Sunday. South Carolina most recently lost to in-state rival Clemson, 4-1.
Saturday's Tennis Matches:
Western Carolina (4-3) vs Wake Forest (7-2) | Feb. 15, 2025 | 1:30 p.m.
Western Carolina (4-3) vs South Carolina (3-3) | Feb. 15, 2025 | 4:30 p.m.
Live Stats (WCU vs Wake Forest): https://tinyurl.com/mndj95t2
Watch (WCU vs Wake Forest): https://tinyurl.com/4fmp63s2
Live Stats (WCU vs South Carolina): https://tinyurl.com/4h82b22u
Watch (WCU vs South Carolina): https://tinyurl.com/ykzkbuza
Players to Watch:
Chloe Schwarz is on a roll for the Catamounts in their recent outings and has an overall record of 7-1 this season including an undefeated singles mark. Schwarz has competed entirely on the third court in singles play and most recently rallied down a set against Presbyterian to preserve her undefeated record another week. In doubles play, she and Andrea Redondo hold the top record for WCU with a 4-1 record entirely on court No. 2.
In last year's meeting with Wake Forest, Andrea Redondo was the only Catamount to record a singles victory, winning on the fifth court in straight sets. The Catamounts nearly came away with a few other victories in that matchup as the pairing of Isabella Sambola and Angela Perez lost 7-5 in doubles on the top court and the duo of Madison Schwarz and Jade Groen fell by the same score on the second. Groen also fought in a tight singles match before falling in a set three tiebreaker 10-7.
The competition will be fierce in Columbia, as the Gamecocks boast two top-100 singles players Sarah Hamner (#21) and Kaitlyn Carnicella (#61). The duo are a combined 23-13 (Hamner 12-6; Carnicella 11-7) on the singles courts dating back to the fall 2024 season. However, Hamner is 3-2 on the top court in the spring season, while Carnicella holds a 1-2 record with three unfinished matches to her name on the second court. The duo is also a top-100 doubles pairing (#57), with a 2-1 dual match record this season.
The Demon Deacons also have a top-100 singles player in Krystal Blanch (#73), who is 3-2 on the second court in the early season. The Deacs also have the highest-ranked doubles pairing of the weekend in Kady Tannenbaum and Nevena Carton (#36). The duo is 6-1 on the second court, with their only loss coming in a 6-3 stumble to the Furman Paladins, as the SoCon representative took the doubles point on the Deacons.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU is back at home on February 22 to host the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs with first serve set for 2 p.m. at the Catamount Athletic Complex. Conference play begins early for the Catamounts as they hit the road to take on the Furman Paladins in Greenville on February 25 for a 3 p.m. start.
