Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's tennis team is home this weekend to host a pair of Division I opponents, facing mountain-rival Appalachian State on Saturday, Feb. 8, and Big South foe Presbyterian on Sunday, Feb. 9. Match time against the Mountaineers 1 p.m., while first serve with the Blue Hose is set for Noon on Sunday, both at the on-campus Catamount Athletic Complex.
The Catamounts (3-2) come into the weekend's matches on a three-match winning streak after defeating Tusculum 6-0 on Monday afternoon. Appalachian State is 2-2 early after falling to Furman, 5-2 and to ETSU, 4-3. Presbyterian has struggled early in the year against a strong schedule, going 2-6 and most recently dropping a 6-1 match to Coastal Carolina.
WCU has an opportunity to make some headway in both series this weekend as the Catamounts trail App State 7-36 and are behind Presbyterian 7-11 all-time. Recent history is in WCU's favor, though, as the Catamounts claimed home wins over the two teams in their last appearance in Cullowhee. WCU downed the Blue Hose 5-2 in a 2023 matchup – and though home matches with App State are few and far between in recent years, the Catamounts are on a two-match win streak at the Catamount Athletic Complex, including a 5-1 victory in 2022.
Saturday and Sunday's Matches:
Western Carolina (3-2) vs Appalachian State (2-2) | Feb. 8, 2025 | 1 p.m.
Western Carolina (3-2) vs Presbyterian (2-6) | Feb. 9, 2025 | Noon
Players to Watch:
WCU's Jade Groen, the reigning Southern Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week, has been a cornerstone for the Catamounts since moving to the top court. The junior is 3-1 this season including a 2-1 mark on the top court. She ripped off a pair of straight-set victories in her last outings against Davidson and Tusculum.
Groen's 3-1 singles record is tied for the best on the team this season as Angela Perez and Madison Schwarz have shared similar success early. Perez is 2-1 on the fourth court and 1-0 on the fifth, while Schwarz is undefeated at No. 3.
Groen faces tough competition on the top court against Appalachian State in Savannah Dada-Mascoll. The junior from Yorkshire, England is 4-0 in singles play and put together a straight-set 6-1, 6-0 victory over Furman's Jess Dawson and a come-from-behind win over ETSU's Daniela Rivera in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 decision.
Presbyterian is led in terms of record by Valentina De Sousa, who is the only member of the Blue Hose with an above .500 record, going 4-3 in her matches this year. She's seen action on the second and third courts this season but has mostly competed on the fourth court.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
With the three-match home flurry completed over the weekend, the Catamounts return to the road on Feb. 15 to face the No. 22 South Carolina Gamecocks and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a doubleheader in Columbia, S.C. WCU is scheduled to face the Gamecocks at 4:30 p.m. while the time for the match against Wake Forest is yet to be announced. The Catamounts are back in action at home on Feb. 22 as they host the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at 2 p.m.
