SUMTER, SC – Facing off with its in-state rival for the second time in as many weeks, No. 44 Carson-Newman (11-7, 9-4 SAC) evened the score when it mattered, defeating No. 43 Tusculum (14-8, 8-5 SAC), 4-2 to move on to the SAC semifinal match.
"We were prepared for a tough match, and we definitely stepped up," head coach Jon Parker said. "Every girl played with intensity."
After securing the doubles point, C-N used a strong singles performance to pull away from Tusculum. Leah McBride started with a straight-set win in the No. 5 spot, while Summer Reeves took the match at No. 3 singles to bring the Eagles within a point of clinching. Despite dropping the first set, freshman Sindija Manovska clinched her second match in as many weeks with a three-set win at No. 6.
SINGLES RESULTS
No. 1: Anita Chornei (C-N) vs. Elodie Baechler (TU), 3-6/3-3 (DNF)
No. 2: Valentina Loretz (TU) def. Natasha Forrest (C-N), 6-3/6-4
No. 3: Summer Reeves (C-N) def. Yiva Frafjord Landa (TU), 6-3/6-4
No. 4: Paulina Loretz (TU) def. Suryanshi (C-N), 6-2/1-4 (ret.)
No. 5: Leah McBride (C-N) def. Thilda Danielsson (TU), 6-0/6-1
No. 6: Sindija Manovska (C-N) def. Johanna Palacio (TU), 4-6/6-1/6-2
In doubles, C-N secured the point with impressive play in the top two spots to gain an early advantage. In a battle between two all-conference duos, the Eagles' Natasha Forrest and Summer Reeves got the better of the Pioneers' Elodie Baechler and Valentina Loretz. In the No. 2 spot, the freshman pairing of Leah McBride and Suryanshi clinched the point with a big win.
DOUBLES RESULTS
No. 1: Reeves/Forrest (C-N) def. Baechler/V. Loretz (TU), 6-3
No. 2: Suryanshi/McBride (C-N) def. Frafjord Landa/P. Loretz (TU), 6-2
No. 3: Danielsson/Palacio (TU) def. Speiser/Chornei (C-N), 6-3
With the win, C-N advances to the semifinal round, where it will square off with top-seeded No. 6 Wingate.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 4-1 win over Anderson in the quarterfinal match, taking four singles matches to overcome dropping the doubles point.
C-N dropped the match to Wingate a couple of weeks ago, but two singles matches were pushed to three sets, including Natasha Forrest taking No. 27 Eva Siska to a tiebreaker, where Siska eventually prevailed. Suryanshi's impressive win in straight sets in the No. 2 spot and Leah McBride's pro-set win in No. 5 singles earned the Eagles the two points.
C-N will look to take down the top-seeded Bulldogs tomorrow at 2 PM in Sumter, SC.
