Cullowhee, N.C. – Seeded a program-best fourth entering this week's Southern Conference Women's Tennis Championship, Western Carolina continues its historic season on Thursday as it opens a quest for a conference championship with its quarterfinal match against fifth-seeded Mercer on the courts at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Catamounts (14-9, 4-3 SoCon) claimed the fourth seed for the championships after falling in the regular-season finale at Wofford. Mercer (7-13, 3-4 SoCon) secured the fifth seed after taking down the Samford Bulldogs 5-2 in its final regular-season match. The win snapped a three-match skid for the Bears, with all three of their conference wins coming against seeds No. 6-8.
Western Carolina took the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season, powering to a 5-2 decision in Macon, Ga. The Catamounts swept the doubles point for the first time in SoCon play during the meeting on April 5 before earning wins on courts number one, two, four, and five for what was WCU's fourth SoCon win of the season. Mercer claimed victory on courts six and three, though Chloe Schwarz retired in the second set.
Thursday's Women's Tennis Matchup:
#4 Western Carolina (14-9, 4-3 SoCon) vs #5 Mercer (7-13, 3-4 SoCon)
April 17, 2025, | 1 p.m. | Champions Club | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Players to Watch:
Jade Groen, the first Catamount to ever collect Southern Conference Player of the Year accolades, looks to further her undefeated record against conference opponents this season as the junior is expected to battle Marina Quinones. Groen impressively won over Quinones earlier this season, recording a 6-2, 6-1 straight-set victory.
Groen was also half of WCU's first-team All-SoCon doubles pairing as she and partner Chloe Schwarz compiled an impressive 9-4 record, going 5-1 against league foes. The duo recorded a 6-1 win on the top court over Mercer's pairing of Quinones and Ines Homberg in their previous meeting.
After collecting Freshman of the Year honors two seasons ago, junior Isabella Sambola earned first-team All-SoCon honors for the first time in her career after an impressive 5-2 mark in SoCon play on the second court. Sambola was the only second-seed player to earn a first-team plaudits. She picked up a 6-3, 6-3 straight-set win over Mercer's Emilia Cosatto in their first matchup.
Mercer will again be led by Quinones, one of five top-court players to earn a first-team All-Southern Conference selection. The Spanish senior went 8-11 this season in singles play, posting a 2-4 mark in conference play. She battled for a 6-9 record on the top court this season, with wins against Samford's Emily Surcey and Furman's Sara Snyder.
Up Next for the Catamounts:
The winner of the WCU-Mercer match faces the winner of the top-seed Furman vs. #8 seed UNC Greensboro at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 18, in Chattanooga.
