Eagles square off with Saints to start 2021 SAC Tournament
For the second time in the 2021 season, Carson-Newman (12-6, 8-4 SAC) will square off with the Limestone Saints (11-6, 7-5 SAC).
SUMTER, S.C. – For the second time in the 2021 season, Carson-Newman (12-6, 8-4 SAC) will square off with the Limestone Saints (11-6, 7-5 SAC). Thursday's matchup has a little bit more incentive as it marks first round action for both programs as they begin in the 2021 SAC Women's Tennis Championships from the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, S.C.
This marks Carson-Newman's fourth straight appearance in the SAC Women's Tennis Tournament as they will be looking for thier first Semifinals berth in program history, as they have lost the previous three times in the quarterfinals round.
"It's an honor to be in such a good conference and I know this team is ready," senior Hannah Price said. "I think we'll be ready to go and hopefully continue winning."
The 2021 regular season came to a resounding end for C-N last Saturday as they claimed their fifth straight SAC win with a 6-1 result over the Catawba College Catawba Indians. To close out their season, C-N compiled wins over three straight home wins over Mars Hill, #22 Queens (N.C.), and UVA-Wise before finding two road wins over the Tusculum Pioneers and Indians.
In a season unlike no other, one thing has stayed consistent for the majority of C-N matches in 2021: the lineup. Junior Ana Carla Resende (Minas Gerais, Brazil) held down the number one singles slot for the third straight season as she comes into the SAC Tournament with a team-leading 14-4 overall record, including an almost-unblemished 11-1 record in SAC play. Her lone SAC loss came on the road against the Wingate Bulldogs.
The number two singles spot has been occupied by one of three Eagles freshman striving to make an immediate impact: Violetta Khisamova (Yaroslalv, Russia). In her 2021 season, the freshman has gone 8-9 overall and ended the year one match under .500 (5-6) when facing SAC opponents.
The number three singles player has been one of the three C-N seniors in Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.). With her win over Mars Hill, Price set a new single-season career high for singles victories (11) as she finished the year with another victory over Catawba to claim an overall 12-6 record and saw herself go 7-for-12 against SAC opposition.
"I've been really encouraged this year and I think it's been a good year for me," Price said. "It's exciting that we have been winning and hopefully we can continue that."
Number four through six singles has been a whole mixture of Eagles throughout 2021 matches. Mostly, freshman Summer Reeves (Maidstone, Kent, England) played the most matches as number four singles, with her 16 total. In those matches, the England native went 10-6 while also seeing a single match from number three singles in which she lost. Overall, Reeves finished her regular season at 10-7 overall and 6-5 in SAC play ahead of Thursday's first round action.
Number five singles has seen two athletes take a stab in the position, but sophomore Natasha Forrest (Jersey, United Kingdom) played in the spot primarily for C-N. She went 9-7 in her matches to add to her 10-7 overall record and 7-5 record against her SAC opponents. Finally, freshman Julia Speiser has traded a couple matches as number six singles with senior Abby Reis (Des Moines, Iowa). However, Speiser played a total of 14 matches in number six singles action and went a perfect .500 as she came in at 7-7 for such matches. To end her first regular season in Mossy Creek, Speiser stayed above .500 overall with a mark of 9-7 overall and 6-5 in conference.
In doubles competition, it was Price and Forrest as the number two doubles pairing who stormed their way to tie the program record for single-season victories as a pair. With the victory over Catawba, the duo has amassed a 15-3 mark in 2021 which ties Patricia Guerrerio and Jennifer Ott's 2015 record of 15 season victories. When facing SAC opponents, Price and Forrest have gone 10-2 with their lone losses coming to Anderson and Tusculum.
Number one doubles pairing, Reis and Resende, collected double digit wins in 2021 as the pair went 10-8 overall and finished 7-5 when faced with a SAC pairing. Reis and Resende currently are tied for the team lead with two straight doubles victories to end the 2021 regular season. The duo is tied with the number three pairing of freshman Reeves and Speiser. The freshman showcased their talents in doubles as well as they compiled an imposing 11-5 record in action and a 7-4 record against their SAC foes when put in action.
The first time these two programs faced off in 2021 came on February 27th from Gaffney, S.C. On that date, the Eagles collected an early 1-0 record in SAC play after collecting a 5-2 win over the Saints. In match action, Resende stayed an integral part to C-N's success as she was victorious in both doubles and singles matches. In her singles match, she collected a 6-4, 7-6 result to kickstart her SAC season as an Eagle. Back in the February matchup, the only Eagles who saw a defeat were the freshman Khisamova from number two singles and Forrest in number five singles.
The Saints concluded their regular season 11-6 overall and with a 7-5 mark in SAC play, including winning three out of their last five SAC matchups of 2021. With their final record and with owning the tiebreaker over Tusculum and Newberry, the Saints claim the number five seed for the 2021 SAC Women's Tennis Tournament.
Thursday's match will begin at 9 a.m. in Sumter, S.C. at the Palmetto Tennis Center. The winner of the quarterfinal match will be back in action on Friday, April 16, at 9 a.m. versus the winner between #1 Wingate and #8 Lincoln Memorial.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman women's tennis at cneagles.com and via all social media accounts
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