SUMTER, S.C. -Carson-Newman women's tennis (4-14, 4-8 South Atlantic Conference) concludes season after losing 4-3 against #18 Tusculum (16-5, 11-1 SAC) in the SAC Tournament Quarterfinals.
Carson-Newman had to win four of their final six matches to make it into the tournament after starting 0-12. Fortuitous late season losses by Coker and Mars Hill allowed the Eagles to squeeze in as the eighth seed, but they faced a tall task in the 18th ranked Pioneers.
The Eagles' loss 4-3 to Tusculum for the second time this season, leaving Eagles fans wondering whether the results would be different if they were not forfeiting a point per match due to a roster deficiency.
Charry's squad won the doubles point for the sixth time this season. The Eagles are 4-2 in those matches.
Doubles
Natasha Forrest and Julia Speiser lined up against Tabitha Howe and Paulina Loretz. The Eagles won 6-3 to extend their team-leading total to 10. The all-conference second team pair won six consecutive doubles matches to end the year.
Mollie Edge and Summer Reeves took on Elodie Baechler and Valentina Loretz. The Eagles won 6-2. Edge and Reeves finished the year with a record of 7-4 in doubles action.
Carson-Newman forfeited the final doubles set, but had already clinched the doubles point by winning two of the three sets.
Singles
Anita Chornei won her ninth match of the season when she defeated Leonie Floeth. The third team all-conference player put up a bagel against her opposition in the first set before winning the second set 6-4. Chornei finishes her Carson-Newman career with a record of 34-20, including a 9-9 record this season.
Natasha Forrest extended team-leading win total to 13 when she defeated Tabitha Howe in the two spot. Forrest won in sets of 6-2 and 6-3. The conference's second team selection finished 13-5 on the year, including a record of 11-4 as the two player.
Summer Reeves narrowly lost her matchup against Elodie Baechler in the three spot. Baechler won the first set 6-4, but Reeves was able to bounce back in the second 7-6. Baechler was able to pull out a 7-5 tiebreaking victory to clinch Tusculum's win.
Speiser dropped her set against Paulina Loretz in the four spot. Loretz won in consecutive sets of 6-0.
Mollie Edge lined up in the five spot for the 14th time this season to take on Valentina Loretz. Edge lost in consecutive sets of 6-1.
The Eagles had to forfeit the final singles set, giving Tusculum the 4-3 victory.
A Look Back
The Eagles were 17-5 during the 2022 season, landing third in the conference with a record of 10-2 against SAC foes. A preseason coaching change and roster shakeup set the Eagles back to begin the year.
Carson-Newman's 0-12 start to begin the season was one of the worst starts in program history. The Eagles were forced to forfeit sets in nearly every game of the season due to a lack of players to fill spots. The Eagles lost four games 4-3 this season. Those losses are partially credited to Carson-Newman consistently forfeiting singles sets.
Despite Carson-Newman's winless record, Anita Chornei was able to consistently land on the ITA's division-II singles rankings, climbing as high as 44th after defeating the #24 player in Ashleigh Simes.
Nearing the end of the season, the Eagles were able to begin to find their form. They picked up their first win when they defeated Emory & Henry 6-1 on Mar. 29th. The Eagles fell 7-0 to the conference's top team, Wingate, three days later.
Carson-Newman rallied to win three of their last four games to end the regular season. The Eagles defeated Lincoln Memorial 4-3, which turned out to be a significant victory for the Eagles because it gave them the edge over the Railsplitters in a tiebreaker scenario for eligibility in the conference tournament. The Eagles went on to defeat UVA-Wise 6-1 and Mars Hill 5-2.
After losing to Newberry in the final game of the season, The Eagles were forced to wait and see if Mars Hill would defeat Coker, thus advancing the Eagles into the postseason. With a little bit of luck, along with clutch performances, the Eagles reached the postseason for the sixth season in a row.
Faced with the #18 team in the country, the Eagles were up against a tall task. Carson-Newman fell 4-3 to the conference's second team in the quarterfinals of the SAC Tournament.
Natasha Forrest led the Eagles in singles victories with 13. Her efforts landed her a second-team all-conference nod. Forrest was also 10-3 against SAC opponents, and 11-4 as the two player. Forrest finished 2-1 as Carson-Newman's one player, a role she could return to next season with the upcoming departure of Anita Chornei.
Summer Reeves was second on the team in singles wins with 10. She collected nine of her wins against conference competition, and played primarily as Carson-Newman's three player where she held a record of 7-5.
Mollie Edge began to find her form late in the season, going on a five game winning streak before the conference tournament began. Edge finished the season with an 8-8 record, primarily as the five player.
Julia Speiser earned all-conference honors when she landed on the doubles second team. Speiser finished with a record of 11-3 in doubles play, including a 10-2 record when she was paired with Natasha Forrest. The duo went on a six game winning streak to end the season.
For more information on Carson-Newman tennis, visit cneagles.com or follow Carson-Newman athletics on social media.
