Macon, Ga. – Western Carolina women's tennis matched its program-best eight-match win streak on Saturday, claiming the doubles point and four singles matches to upend the Mercer Bears 5-2 in Southern Conference action at the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center.
The Catamounts (14-7, 4-1 SoCon) swept the doubles point for the first time since their home win over North Carolina A&T, and posted singles wins on courts one, two, four, and five to secure the victory. Mercer (6-13, 2-4 SoCon) dropped its third straight conference matchup and faces the Samford Bulldogs in its regular-season finale on April 10.
The pair of Jade Groen and Chloe Schwarz again overpowered the competition on the top court in doubles play, cruising to a 6-1 win and their seventh straight doubles tally. The duo has compiled a 9-3 record on the doubles courts this season and are 5-0 in conference play. Madison Schwarz and Angela Perez secured the early point for the Catamounts with a 6-3 win on court three before Isabella Sambola and Andrea Redondo swept the point with a 6-4 victory as the two-seed.
Mercer tied the match at 1-all after Chloe Schwarz retired on the third court mid-match, but Groen quickly gave the Catamounts a 2-1 lead with a victory on the top court that the Catamounts would never relinquish. The outstanding junior picked up her 43rd career singles win with a 6-2, 6-1 effort on the first court. Groen is undefeated in SoCon play, going 5-0 as the top seed in conference matches this season.
Both Angela Perez and Isabella Sambola factored into the decision as well with the two picking up wins on the fifth and second courts, respectively, to give the Catamounts a 4-1 lead. Neither Catamount allowed more than three points to the opposition with Perez posting a 6-3, 6-2 win and Sambola rolling in a 6-3, 6-3 decision. Sambola improved to 9-8 in singles play, working her way back above .500 after a 1-3 start, while Perez is nearing her career-high of 14 singles victories after earning her 13th against the Bears.
Madison Schwarz capped the day for the Catamounts with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win on the fourth court, snapping a two-match singles skid for the Adelaide, Australia product. Schwarz's win over Dzhastina Mikhnova is her eighth of the year, setting a single-season best for the junior.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina women's tennis returns to Cullowhee to host the ETSU Bucs on Tues., April 8 at the on-campus Catamount Athletics Complex. The first serve is set for 2 p.m. with the match set to be streamed live on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
The Catamounts then hit the road again to close out the regular season in Spartanburg, S.C. as they face the Wofford Terriers on April 12 before heading to Chattanooga, Tenn. for the Southern Conference Tournament on April 17-19.
