JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman women's tennis team will face-off against the Anderson Trojans for the second time this season on Thursday at 1 p.m in Rock Hill, S.C.
"The team is really excited about the tournament." Carson-Newman head tennis coach Jean Love said, "It certainly has been a work-in-progress this season. We started with only two experienced players in Jill and Ali. The rest of the ladies had to learn and improve quickly. They took a process approach to playing one match at a time and it really seemed to help them improve each day in practice and in the matches. Each match different players would step up and provide the big win in singles or doubles that either set the tone or won the match for us."
Carson-Newman (8-9, 7-4) is making its first appearance in the Quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament since the 2010 season. Anderson (17-4, 9-2) is making its first appearance in the Quarterfinals round since the 2015 season. Anderson won the first meeting between the two teams this season 7-2.
Jill Corsato-Owsianka (Germany) leads the team this season with a 10-7 overall record and a 7-4 record in SAC competition. The junior is coming off of a win against Queens last week and is 7-2 on the year at the No. 3 singles position.
Ali Harris (Crossvilley, Tenn.) has gone 6-11 and 5-6 in conference play this season at the No. 1 singles position. The sophomore has been close the last few matches falling in the third set against Queens last Friday.
Corsato-Owsianka and Harris are coming off of an 8-6 win against Queens in No. 1 doubles. The duo went 8-7 overall on the season and 7-4 in conference play this year.
Freshmen Alisa Liashova (Ukraine) and Klara Vuckovic (Germany) have had stellar seasons for the Eagles. Liashova has gone 7-10 overall this season and 5-6 overall, while splitting time at the No.2 and No. 3 singles positions this season. Vuckovic went 8-9 overall on the year and 7-4 in conference play at the No.4 position.
The duo of Liashova and Vuckovic also composed the Eagles No.2 doubles team. The duo finished the regular season with 12-3 mark and a 9-2 conference record. The pairing picked-up an 8-3 victory over Delaney Wiggins and Jacqueline Olivia in the first match between the schools this season.
Rounding out the final two singles positions for the Eagles is Lindy Tatum (Henderson, Tenn.) and Sydney Ledington (Corbin, Ky.). Tatum went 8-11 and 6-5 in conference as the Eagles No.5 singles player. Ledington went 8-9 overall and 5-6 in conference play as the Eagles No. 6 singles player. The pairing made up the Eagles No.3 doubles team and went 4-11 overall on the year.
"I am happy for Sydney, a junior, who finally played a full season without getting injured." Love said, "Ali and Jill continued to be solid players for us. Although Merry did not get into a match this season, she was such a good encourager for her teammates. This truly was a team effort."
If the Eagles defeat Anderson on Thursday, they will play top seeded Wingate on Friday afternoon.
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