JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A couple days after suffering their first conference loss of the season, Carson-Newman women's tennis (12-3, 6-1 SAC) will see a busy two match week as the South Atlantic Conference slate rolls on and intensifies.
The Orange and Blue will start the week off by hosting their east Tennessee rival, Tusculum, on Wednesday. Then, Saturday will see the Eagles back on the road as they match wits with one of the hottest teams in DII women's tennis, # 10 Queens (N.C.) Royals.
The Eagles come into this week after splitting results last week against the Mars Hill Lions and no. 24 Wingate. Last Tuesday saw the Eagles secure their third straight sweep over the Lions before coming back home and suffering their 14th straight loss to the Bulldogs.
"We know what lies ahead of us, so we just need to take on a one-match mindset and control what we can," head coach Jim Frederick said
Against the Lions, C-N did not mess around as they easily handled business and won 7-0 for the third consecutive meeting as the Eagles have not lost since dropping a match to DIII Sewanee in mid-February. In doubles, the Orange and Blue won all three matches while only dropping more than three games in one match.
"The girls have been extremely solid so Wingate better expect a battle on Saturday," graduate coach Gabriel Dabdab said. "It would be a battle of two of the best teams in the conference."
Singles competition saw the Eagles claim all six matches, including three of the six matches being played as an eight-game superset as the men's side of action did.
The match was clinched in number five singles by junior Natasha Forrest (Jersey, United Kingdom) for the second straight match. The United Kingdom native got off on the right track as she won 6-1 in the first set. The second set saw a little more fight from the Lions, but Forrest maintained control and pulled out the 6-3 decision and secured C-N their 10th straight victory of the spring.
Then, last Saturday, C-N would look to maintain their unblemished home record and pull out a victory over the Wingate Bulldogs for the first time in program history. Unfortunately, despite taking doubles, C-N would only see one singles win as the Bulldogs looked in firm control en route to a 5-2 victory.
Violetta Khisamova was the lone Eagles to gain a victory as she played at the number three position. As she faced another nationally ranked foe, #65 Elena Gunfaus of the Bulldogs, the Russia native met the two-set minimum as she would win 7-5, 6-3.
SCOUTING TUSCULUM
Last year's meeting between the Eagles and Pioneers was a historic one for the Orange and Blue. Overall, Tusculum leads the overall series history between the two east Tennessee programs with a margin of 21-8.
Last year, C-N started the day by claiming doubles with victories in two out of three matches. Singles action for the Eagles was highlighted by the efforts of the #46 singles player in Division II women's action, Ana Carla Resende, who was handed the victory over her Pioneers foe after securing the first set 6-1 before her opponent retired, giving Resende her 10th win in SAC singles.
With their 5-2 win, C-N ended an 11-match win streak by Tusculum in the series. The last time C-N was victorious over Tusculum in any match fashion was on May 7, 2009 at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in Savannah, Ga. When looking solely at SAC matchups, the Eagles had not beaten their East Tennessee foe in 11 straight matches, more specifically since March 26, 2008 from Jefferson City.
The Pioneers (10-5, 5-3 SAC) will have back-to-back meetings with nationally ranked opponents as they face off with no. 19 Lenoir Rhyne on Monday before trekking to Mossy Creek. Tusculum won a pair of three-set matches in singles, winning four of five tiebreakers, as they handed L-R their fourth straight loss.
The 5-2 victory for the Orange and Black snapped a streak of 11 straight defeats to ranked teams. The Pioneers would fall behind after L-R took the doubles point, but would storm back and only drop one singles match en route to victory. Valentina Lopez would be the clincher as she claimed a 6-2, 6-2 win at flight five over L-R's Sandy Mitsou.
SCOUTING #10 QUEENS (N.C.)
Much like against the Pioneers, the Eagles will look to repeat success against the Queens (N.C.) after gaining their first win over the Royals since 2013 last season.
"We were all getting a little nervous and I think she was too," head coach Jim Frederick said. "This is a game where point by point by point is important and she came through for us and knew how important every point was."
It was Abby Reis playing hero as she notched her second win of the year by scores of 6-3, 6-4. It was her second win of the 2020-21 season as she was also victorious against Belmont Abbey.
"Queens is one of the best in our conference. We came into today with a win each point mindset," Reis said. "My heart was racing and I knew I had to keep the ball in play and my teammates helped push me to victory. To get this victory today, we're happy and we're really thankful for having the match today."
Last year also saw Natasha Forrest and Hannah Price claim the lone doubles win for the Orange and Blue with a result of 7-6 in number two doubles. This tied the duo for the third-highest doubles win total in a single season with 13.
"We've been close and to be able to breakthrough against a team like this, it just means a lot to these girls and this program. When you're building a program like we are, you have to be competitive in these times against teams like the one we faced today and I couldn't be prouder of the effort by our girls," Frederick said.
In 2022, the Royals have been perfect as they stand at 10-0 overall and hold a mark of 8-0 in SAC play to hold the top spot for the women's standings. Beyond their perfect SAC record including wins over Wingate, Tusculum, and LMU, the Royals also hold an upset win over North Georgia in their second match of the year.
Before hosting the Eagles, Queens (N.C.) will welcome in the Catawba Indians on Monday. This comes after the Royals handled business and defeated LMU last weekend. The win over the Railsplitters came after the Royals jumped into the ITA top 10 for the first time in program history.
Queens (N.C.) would win the doubles point with straight wins at all three positions including a 7-6 win at number one. Then, in singles, it was Katya Khramtcova who would put the match away with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory from the number six position and make sure Queens remains perfect for their 2022 slate.
Wednesday gets started between the Eagles and Pioneers at 12:00 p.m. from the Buddy Catlett Tennis Center. Then, Saturday will be a 3:00 p.m. first serve from the Howard Levine Tennis Center between the Eagles and Royals programs.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman women's tennis at cneagles.com and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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