JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Wrapping up the 2022 regular season, 17th-ranked Carson-Newman women's tennis (17-4, 11-2 SAC) hosted the Catawba College Catawba Indians. As the Eagles and Indians squared off, it would be the host program claiming a clean sweep by a final of 7-0.
Saturday's match was all Orange and Blue as they started off strong with three clean match wins in doubles action before sweeping all six single flights. Throughout all three doubles matches, C-N outscored Catawba 18-6, with only two games dropped in each result.
"The girls have been extremely solid so Wingate better expect a battle on Saturday," graduate coach Gabriel Dabdab said. "Saturday will be a battle of two of the best teams in the conference."
The Eagles got on the board first as Ana Carla Resende (Minas Gerais, Brazil) and Summer Reeves (Maidstone, Kent, England) took home a 6-2 win from number two doubles. This moves the pairing of Resende/Reeves to an impressive 14-3 overall and 10-1 in SAC play. The only conference match which the duo dropped came against Wingate on April 2.
At number three doubles, Violetta Khisamova (Yaroslavl, Russia) and Julia Speiser played their hearts out to hold the momentum for C-N and push the Eagles to another 6-2 win. Khisamova and Speiser have played together in 18 matches, going 15-3 overall and 9-2 in SAC competition.
Finally, in number one doubles, Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Natasha Forrest (Jersey, United Kingdom) would secure the clean sweep with a 6-2 win as the pair moves to 12-8 overall and 7-5 in SAC play.
"This win is big as we now move our attention to Sumter and the SAC Tournament," head coach Jim Frederick. "If the girls play like this, we might be the team to watch out for as we can compete with the best of them as our record shows."
Singles competition saw the Eagles claim all six matches, including flight number six being played as an eight-game pro set.
For the first time in six matches, Summer Reeves would see a victory as she broke a five-match losing streak with a 6-2, 6-3 win at the number two flight. This moves Reeves to 7-10 overall and 3-9 in SAC competition.
The lead grew for C-N as senior Ana Carla Resende (Minas Gerais, Brazil) stepped up and handled her own in the number one position. The Brazil native continued to mark her C-N legacy as she would win 6-4, 6-3 to move to 15-4 overall and 9-2 in conference play.
The Eagles would see Violetta Khisamova finish up next from number three singles. The sophomore was locked and loaded as she dropped three total games en route to a 6-2, 6-1 victory as the lead grew to 4-0 for C-N.
The match saw the number five singles won by junior Natasha Forrest. The United Kingdom native played the lone three-set action on Saturday as she would win the first set 6-3. Then, she dropped the second set 4-6 before rallying to take the third and decisive set 6-0. This moves Forrest to 15-5 overall and 10-2 in SAC play.
The lone eight game pro set for the day came by way of Anita Chornei at number six. As the match was already decided prior to match start, As the junior moves to 15-4 overall and 9-2 in SAC play, she claimed a 8-0 win.
Finally, as she was honored for the annual Senior Day festivities, graduate student Hannah Price was the last Eagle on either side to be in action. As she took the first set 6-4, she looked to close out the clean sweep for C-N in the second set. Her objective was clear and the Knoxville native, in front of her beloved loved ones, clinched the match with another 6-4 decision. This moves Price to 14-6 overall and 9-3 in SAC play for her final regular season in Mossy Creek.
"It's been a pleasure to teach her and see Hannah grow as a player on and off the courts," Frederick said. "I know she had a Senior Day last year, but she has been a vital program member in watching this program grow."
Carson-Newman will be back in action as the 2022 SAC Women's Tennis Championships begin next week. The Eagles have been placed as the three seed, going against six-seed Anderson on Friday afternoon. The 2022 version of the SAC Tournament takes place from April. 21-23 in Sumter, S.C. at the Palmetto Tennis Center.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman women's tennis via cneagles.com and on all social media accounts.
