JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Heading into the final week of the regular season, no. 27 Carson-Newman women's tennis (14-4, 8-2 SAC) will look to maintain their position as one of the top three teams in the final SAC standings. The Orange and Blue wrap up their 2022 regular season with a road trip on Wednesday to face 52nd-ranked Anderson before coming back home and hosting the Catawba College Catawba Indians on Saturday.
The Eagles come into this week's pair of matches after pulling out victories in two of three matches last week. C-N would first take the latest meeting with their east Tennessee rival, Tusculum, last Wednesday by a final of 5-2. Then, it would be a two-match road trip on tap for the Orange and Blue as they would falter to #19 Newberry (4-3) last Friday before once again coming out on top over 12th-ranked Queens (N.C.) 4-3 on Saturday.
Last Wednesday marked the first time since 2000-01 in which C-N has won back-to-back matches over Tusculum. As the Eagles led 3-2, all eyes shifted to junior Anita Chornei at number six, as C-N looked to secure the win. The junior has been steady in 2022 and nothing changed against the Pioneers as the Ukraine native claimed a win by a final of 6-1, 6-4.
"Today showcases how talented this conference is and how much we cannot expect an easy win," head coach Jim Frederick said.
The jubilation was short-lived as for only the second time in the spring, C-N was handed a conference loss as #19 Newberry squeaked out the near-margin win Friday.
"Girls were literally one point away from winning the match," graduate coach Gabriel Dabdab said.
The Orange and Blue would take the doubles point, but it was losses at number one, two, three, and four flights in singles which did the Eagles in.
"This one hurts because we know that we could win and climb higher in the rankings," Dabdab said.
However, the biggest win of the season would occur last Saturday as the Eagles once again got the best of the Queens Royals, handing them their first loss of the entire spring and first blemish in SAC play.
In number four singles, Hannah Price looked to prove her experience to pay off as she would go head-to-head with QU's Marie Balanda. After falling to her opposition in doubles, the Knoxville native responded with tenacity, winning 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. Her win secured the first win from Charlotte for C-N as they had only came as close as five games in previous attempts prior to Saturday.
"Still a couple matches in regular season, but we are going strong into the tournament," graduate coach Gabriel Dabdab said.
SCOUTING #52 ANDERSON (S.C.)
It would be C-N's home opener last season when they last saw the Trojans in dual-meet fashion. The Trojans came to Mossy Creek and got the better of the Orange and Blue, handing them a 5-2 defeat. In the match, it was Ana Carla Resende claiming a point for the Eagles with her win at number one singles, joined only by fellow veteran Hannah Price in the number three flight.
Since 2011, it is the Trojans who led the series history by a 9-2 margin. The last win for C-N came back in 2019 when they successfully defended home court with a 5-2 win. The last win on the road against the Trojans for the Orange and Blue came in March 2016 as it would be a 5-4 result falling in favor of the Eagles.
Anderson (14-7, 7-4 SAC) has seen some glimmers of hope when hosting SAC opponents, including winning three out of their last five at home in SAC play. Overall, this season, Anderson is 4-4 when playing at home while holding a mark of 10-3 on the road. Their last match of 2022 came last Saturday when they traveled to face the Wingate Bulldogs.
Against the Bulldogs, the Trojans fell behind early after dropping the doubles point. However, they would respond and take wins in the number one and four singles flight, but would ultimately fall 5-2 to hold their current record of 7-4 in SAC action. It would be Catherine Blouin and Laura Alvarez Tello picking up the singles wins, respectively.
SCOUTING CATAWBA
For the second consecutive season, it will be Carson-Newman matching wits with the Catawba Indians in a regular season finale. In last year's finale, the two programs met in Mooresville, N.C. as it would be the Orange and Blue capturing the 6-1 win ahead of the 2021 SAC Tournament.
Most notably against the Indians, Hannah Price and Natasha Forrest notched their 10th SAC win of the season and 15th overall for 2020-21, tying the program record set in 2015 by Patricia Guerrerio and Jennifer Ott.
"This pair has had a special season and should receive All-SAC honors next week," head coach Jim Frederick said. "It was important for us to finish strong."
However, it would be Forrest who was one step away from helping C-N get the sweep as she fell in three sets (6-1, 5-7, 10-6) at the number five singles flight.
Fast forwarding to 2022, Catawba comes into this week on a current six-match losing streak including a Senior Day defeat at the hands of Newberry last Saturday. The last win for the Indians came nearly a month ago (March 13) when they defeated JC Smith by a final of 5-2.
Against the Wolves on Senior Day, Carolina Correia and Lena Friedrich would claim the two points for Catawba as they won at number five and six singles, respectively.
The Indians have a busy week ahead as they travel to Hartsville on Tuesday to play the Coker Cobras, then host the #11 Wingate Bulldogs on Tuesday before traveling to Wise, Va. for a meeting with the Highland Cavaliers on Thursday. Finally, it will be another road trip for the Indians when they trek to Mossy Creek for Saturday's meeting.
Saturday's meeting for the Orange and Blue will be extra special as they will host the annual Senior Day festivities for the women's program as well. The Eagles will honor the efforts of Hannah Price for her time at Mossy Creek.
Opening serve from Anderson is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. between the 27th-ranked Eagles and 52nd-ranked Trojans Wednesday. Meanwhile, C-N and Catawba will get started at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday from the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex.
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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