Clemson, S.C. – Western Carolina women's tennis wrapped up its opening weekend of play on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Clemon Tigers 7-0 at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility.
Freshman Kelly Coetzee made her Catamount debut on the sixth court and nearly came away with a singles win. She was the only Catamount to record a set win, taking the second set 6-2 against Sophie Clayton. The two then battled in a thrilling tiebreaker set, though the freshman fell 1-0 (13-11).
Freshman Jenelle Roberts and sophomore transfer Mariya Dobreva also battled in close sets, with Dobreva falling 6-4, 6-0 to former Catamount Jade Groen on the top court, while Roberts fell 6-3, 6-4 to Romana Cisovska on the second.
WCU (0-3) has a week away from action before returning to the courts to face the Virginia Tech Hokies on Jan. 30 in Blacksburg, Va.
How it Happened:
Clemson took control of the match in doubles play, winning 6-0, 6-1, and 6-0 across the three courts to take the 1-0 lead.
The Tigers then posted five straight-set victories to secure the match, though Dobreva and Roberts battled in close set losses on the top and second courts.
Coetzee battled throughout her first collegiate match after falling 6-3 to Sophie Clayton in the first set. The Cape Town, South Africa product rolled to a 6-2 win in her second set and held a 6-1 lead in the tiebreaker before Clayton began her rally. Coetzee scratched back to even the tiebreaker at 10-10 and 11-11 before Clayton won two straight for the win.
Doubles Results:
- Jade Groen/Rinon Okuwaki (Clemson) def. Mia Miradna/Mariya Dobreva (WCU) 6-0
- Romana Cisovska/Gaia Parravicini (Clemson) def. Jenelle Roberts/Keira Stewart (WCU) 6-1
- Talia Neilson-Gatenby/Artemis Aslanisvili (Clemson) def. Hokualohi Lui/Kelly Coetzee (WCU) 6-0
Singles Results:
- Jade Groen (Clemson) def. Mariya Dobreva (WCU) 6-4, 6-0
- Romana Cisovska (Clemson) def. Jenelle Roberts (WCU) 6-3, 6-4
- Rinon Okuwaki (Clemson) def. Mia Miranda (WCU) 6-2, 6-1
- Talia Neilson-Gatenby (Clemson) def. Axella Van Beurden (WCU) 6-0, 6-0
- Artemis Aslanisvili (Clemson) def. Hokualohi Lui (WCU) 6-1, 6-1
- Sophie Clayton (Clemson) def. Kelly Coetzee (WCU) 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (13-11)
