CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women’s tennis begins its spring season on the road on Sunday afternoon as the Catamounts travel to the Palmetto State to battle Clemson with first serve set for 4 p.m. from The Duckworth Family Tennis Facility on the Tigers campus.
Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Bret Beaver, Western Carolina begins the 2024 spring season led by the reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year, Isabella Sambola, who claimed the program’s first league freshman accolade last year. WCU claimed a program record 14 wins including an 8-2 mark in Cullowhee, which marked the most wins by the Catamounts at home since 2017.
Collectively, WCU returns seven players from the squad including Sambola and Jade Groen, who each garnered all-freshman team honors as Groen and Andrea Redondo were named to the second-team doubles team as well.
Sunday’s action opens a 23-match 2024 spring schedule that features 10 home dates and 12 opponents that the Catamounts battled a season ago en route to their 14-win campaign. WCU is set to face a full SoCon slate and a pair of ACC foes including Wake Forest and Sunday’s season opener against Clemson.
Clemson began the spring season competing in Duel In The Desert hidden duals over three days against Kansas, Iowa State, and Arkansas. The Tigers kicked off their spring match campaign on Friday against fellow SoCon foe ETSU claiming a tight 4-3 decision over the Bucs. The Tigers are slated to face Georgia State on Sunday morning with a match against the Catamounts closing out the busy weekend for Clemson.
The Tigers return seven student-athletes from their squad a season ago led by Cristina Mayorova and Daniella Medvedeva, who both tallied 18 dual wins for Clemson, including Mayorova claiming 15 victories at the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Sophia Hatton and Medvedeva are the top returning doubles pair for the Tigers, earning seven dual wins.
Clemson finished the 2023 season with a 16-12 record, including a 3-10 mark in ACC play as the Tigers fell to Miami (Fla.) in the second round of the ACC Tournament last year. Clemson finished the 2023 season ranked 45th in the ITA rankings, as the conference had 13 teams ranked in the final ITA poll inside the top 70.
The Catamounts and Tigers have met four prior times in the two schools’ histories with Clemson claiming each of the four matches as having taken place at Clemson. Sunday’s match marks the first time these two schools have met since the 2021-22 season when the Tigers claimed a 6-1 and 5-1 doubleheader over WCU. Western Carolina claimed the doubles point in one of the two matches, with Miray Konar battling back from down a set to win a three-setter at No. 4 singles.
Following Sunday’s match in Clemson, the Catamounts return home for the first two times in the 2024 season beginning on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m. against Tusculum in a match originally scheduled for Jan. 20, but postponed due to weather. The Catamounts continue their home stretch the next afternoon with a 2 p.m. start on the 26th against Emmanuel. Both matches will take place at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
For the latest information on Catamount women’s tennis, follow @catamounts or @catamountTennis on Twitter or go to www.catamountsports.com. In-match updates are on the Catamount women’s tennis official tennis Twitter page.