Video: Gabriel Dabdab interview
SUMTER, S.C. – For the fifth straight postseason, it will be 17th-ranked Carson-Newman women's tennis (16-4, 10-2 SAC) making an appearance in the SAC Women's Tennis Championship in Sumter, South Carolina. Just weeks after squaring off with each other, the Orange and Blue match wits with 43rd-ranked Anderson Trojans on Thursday as the 2022 Championships begin with quarterfinals action. This marks Carson-Newman's fifth straight appearance in the SAC Women's Tennis Tournament as they will be looking for their second straight SAC semifinals berth after advancing to face the Queens Royals last spring.
"I think the girls just need to continue doing what they've done all season and it will all work out for them. They lost a couple tough matches to Newberry and Wingate this year, but both had chances for us to win," graduate coach Gabriel Dabdab said. "The girls are once again a top four team, so we're looking forward to playing Anderson on Thursday and beating them once again."
Finishing a regular season which saw the Eagles rise as high as 17th in the ITA rankings, C-N gathered a Senior Day sweep of the Catawba Indians last Saturday. To close out their season, C-N compiled three straight wins as they defeated nationally ranked Queens (N.C.) and Anderson before handling the Indians.
The first time the Eagles and Trojans faced off in 2022 came only one week ago, April 13, as C-N handled their own and defeated Anderson 4-3. The host Trojans would get the early doubles point as they won from the number one and three flight, while C-N avoided the sweep with a win at number two doubles.
"Although we lost the doubles point, it did not affect us in singles as we played good singles in a lot of tight matches. Every match goes down to every point and we are able to keep fighting," head coach Jim Frederick said.
When it came to singles play, it would be the Eagles responding efficiently as they gathered wins by Ana Carla Resende, Violetta Khisamova, Hannah Price, and Natasha Forrest for their ninth SAC win of the season.
The Trojans concluded their regular season 14-8 overall and with a 7-5 mark in SAC play, as they would split their final four matches with wins over Lenoir-Rhyne and Lincoln Memorial before dropping matches to Wingate and the Eagles.
Shifting the focus to Jefferson City, the Eagles were led by the efforts of three athletes finishing with 15 regular season wins, as it was Natasha Forrest leading the charge in conference play with 10 wins against SAC foes.
In a season unlike no other, one thing has stayed consistent for the majority of C-N matches in 2022: the lineup. Senior Ana Carla Resende (Minas Gerais, Brazil) held down the number one singles slot for her fourth season as an Eagle, coming into the SAC Tournament tied for the team lead with 15 regular-season wins (15-4). Of her 15-4 record, the Brazil native has gone 9-2 in SAC play.
The primary number two singles play for C-N in 2022 was Summer Reeves (Maidstone, Kent, England), as she looked to continue building upon Mossy Creek legacy. While playing at the number two flight, Reeves would finish 5-9 and 3-9 against conference foes. However, the sophomore is coming into Sumter on a win streak after breaking her five-match losing streak with a win against the Indians.
The primary number three singles player has been another C-N sophomore, Violetta Khisamova (Yaroslavl, Russia). After starting the season off at number two, the Russia native was moved down one slot and would see a 9-4 mark in number three action, including 9-3 against SAC programs.
Number four singles saw the efforts of Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) wrap up her final season as an Eagle with a record of 14-6 overall and 9-3 in conference play. The most notable win of her 2022 spring came against the #12 Queens (N.C.) Royals, securing the first road win for C-N in Charlotte and their second straight win in the series history. Ahead of the 2022 SAC Tournament, Price enters with a career record of 57-34, which sits as the second-most career wins behind Resende's 61.
Number five singles was mostly controlled by Natasha Forrest (Jersey, United Kingdom) as she would go 10-3 in the flight, part of her overall mark of 15-5 and 10-2 in SAC play. As part of her 2022 spring, Forrest would be the official match clincher against nationally-ranked Lenoir Rhyne and Tennessee Wesleyan.
Finally, junior Anita Chornei was the primary athlete in the number six flight. As she played 15 matches, the Ukraine returned to Mossy Creek with a vengeance to go 12-3 overall in the position.
In doubles competition, it was the pairing of number three doubles and Julia Speiser/Violetta Khisamova leading C-N's efforts as the e duo finished 2022 with a mark of 15-3 overall and 9-2 in SAC competition. This currently ties the program record of 15 single season doubles wins, set back in 2015 by Patricia Guerreiro and Jennifer Ott as well as tied by teammates Hannah Price and Natasha Forrest last spring.
At number one doubles, Ana Carla Resende/Summer Reeves finished 10-1 against SAC foes and 14-3 overall. Their lone conference loss came on April 2 against the Wingate Bulldogs.
As the number one doubles pairing, Hannah Price and Natasha Forrest would amass a mark of 12-8 overall and 7-5 in conference play. This comes one year after the duo finished 2021 by tying the program record with 15 single-season wins.
"The key for our team is to just get as much rest as possible before we begin. We'll get to Sumter Wednesday and hit around a little to get some feel for the environment, despite us playing there in the past," Dabdab said. "But no, we know what we're capable of and as long as we put our best foot forward, we should continue making our name known in the SAC."
Thursday's match will begin at 2 p.m. in Sumter, S.C. at the Palmetto Tennis Center. The winner of the quarterfinal match will be back in action on Friday, April 22, versus the winner between #2 Wingate and #7 Lenoir-Rhyne.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman women's tennis at cneagles.com and via all social media accounts
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