CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women’s tennis opens its home schedule this week with a pair of scheduled matches at the Catamount Athletics Complex. On Thursday afternoon, the Catamounts welcome in Tusculum with the first serve set for 2 p.m., followed by a Friday afternoon match against Emmanuel also with a 2 p.m. start time.
The Catamounts look to rebound from a season-opening defeat at Clemson last Sunday afternoon. In the setback, Angela Perez and Isabella Sambola claimed a pair of doubles sets, while Perez picked up the opening set of her singles match before ultimately falling in three sets.
Thursday’s match marks the first of 10 scheduled home dates for head coach Bret Beaver and WCU as the Catamounts welcome in a trio of SoCon foes in Mercer, Furman, and Wofford, while also playing host to mountain-rival UNC Asheville and former SoCon foe Davidson.
Tusculum began the season with a 2-0 record as the Pioneers grabbed a pair of 7-0 wins over Milligan and North Greenville over the fall portion of the schedule. Thursday’s match in Cullowhee marks Tusculum’s first on-court appearance since defeating North Greenville on Oct. 21, 2023. The Pioneers are led by Yiva Frafjord Landa and Valentina Loretz, who rank in the Top 20 in the ITA DII Southeast Regional Rankings last released in November. Landa sits eighth in the rankings while Loretz checks in at the 20th spot.
Tusculum finished the 2023 season with a 17-7 record including an 11-1 mark in the South Atlantic Conference as the Pioneers fell in the SAC Final to nationally ranked Wingate.
WCU holds a 4-1 record all-time over Tusculum with Thursday’s match as the first head-to-head battle against the Pioneers since February 4, 2022, when the Catamounts earned the 7-0 win in Cullowhee. The Catamounts have won each of the last four meetings with Tusculum.
Emmanuel comes into the week with a 2-2 record as the Lions’ first spring match against UNC Asheville was canceled last Saturday. In the fall portion of the season, the Lions claimed 5-2 wins over Shorter University (Ga.) and SCAD (Atlanta). Friday’s match is the first of three scheduled for Emmanuel against SoCon foes as the Lions are also scheduled to battle Mercer (Jan. 28) and Wofford (Feb. 10).
The Lions are led in singles play by Victoria Rodriguez and Anna Goncalves, who earned two wins thus far compared to zero defeats, while a trio of Lions enters the weekend with a 2-1 record thus far.
Emmanuel finished the 2023 campaign with a 9-11 record as the Lions went 5-4 in the Conference Carolinas as they fell in the opening round of the league’s tournament to Francis Marion.
Friday’s match is the first head-to-head matchup between WCU and Emmanuel.
Following the two matches in Cullowhee this week, the Catamounts have a quick turnaround as WCU hits the road on Sunday, Jan. 28, for a 1:30 p.m. start against Western Kentucky in Bowling Green. The Hilltoppers host Northern Kentucky on Friday before welcoming in WCU on Sunday afternoon as WKU dropped its season opener to Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 14.
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.