HICKORY, N.C. – In the quarterfinal round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament, the Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Tennis Team earned a trip to Rock Hill with a 4-2 win over Carson-Newman on Tuesday afternoon. The win sends the Bears to the SAC Semifinals hosted in Rock Hill on Thursday.
GAME VITALS
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Carson-Newman 2
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (18-4) | Carson-Newman (9-10)
COACHES TAKE
"After a slow start our ladies played some of their best tennis of the season," said Head Coach
Tom Rees. "We fired on all cylinders in singles. We knew Carson-Newman is a good team but our ladies knew they had put in the work from day one this season and had what it took to get the win today. I couldn't be happier for our ladies especially our seniors. We are off to Rock Hill!"
HOW IT HAPPENED
As mentioned, the Bears struggled early and dropped the doubles point. Carson-Newman earned a 6-3 win in second doubles and a 6-1 victory in third doubles to grab the early 1-0 advantage.
In singles play,
Ally Garofoli earned a 6-1, 6-1 win in fifth singles to even the contest and
Emily Murchland dominated in sixth singles (6-2, 6-0) to put the Bears on top. Marta Escanero earned a 6-3, 6-3 win to put the Bears on the brink of a victory but C-N wouldn't go away quietly and earned a win at number one singles. Freshman
Diana Babinets sealed the victory in the third spot, winning 6-2, 2-6 and 6-3 to send the Bears on to the next round.
UP NEXT
The Bears will host take on top-seeded Tusculum on Thursday at 1 p.m. in the semifinal round.
