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 Senior Kristin Cotton is set to play in her final Southern Conference Championship this week in Charleston. |
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April 20, 2005
2005 SoCon Women's Tennis Championship Bracket
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Cullowhee, N.C. - Eleventh-seeded Western Carolina opens play in the 2005 Southern Conference Women's Tennis Championship on Thursday battling the sixth-seed Georgia Southern Eagles at the Farmfield Courts in Charleston, S.C. The match is slated to begin at 12:30 pm.
The Catamounts concluded the regular season last Saturday, falling to Appalachian State in Boone in a match that was rescheduled due to weather issues back in early-April. Western compiled a 4-15 overall record, 0-10 in the Southern Conference. Yet, confidence on the squad is riding high after closing out the regular season very competitively.
The Eagles and Cats only meeting this year came in Cullowhee, a 7-0 sweep by GSU back on April 10. The winner of the first-round match will advance to the quarterfinal round to battle No. 3 seed East Tennessee State on Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm. Semi-final action will begin the morning of April 23, with the SoCon final contested on April 24 at 10:30 am.
Despite not cracking the win column as a team, four Catamounts tallied singles victories over conference foes this season. Leading the way for Western was senior captain Kristin Cotton, who compiled a 7-11 overall record, 2-8 in league play. The Clemson, S.C., native played at the number three slot all season for head coach Jan Stubbs' squad.
A trio of freshmen each scored singles victories versus Southern Conference opponents. Belmont, N.C., native Ashley Harris pulled even with Cotton in league tallies with two by virtue of her regular-season finale victory over Alexandra Grate of ASU, 6-3, 6-4. Harris finished her first season in Cullowhee with an 8-11 overall mark, recording the team-high in victories in the fourth flight.
Harris' classmates, Tricia Hanson and Susanna Sjokvist, each tallied one conference victory apiece. Hanson earned her first-ever SoCon win over Elon's top seed on April 9, while Sjokvist tallied her first-career conference win last Saturday in Boone.
In doubles competition, Cotton and Harris teamed for Western's lone conference tally, an 8-2 decision over Elon's number two double's team of Elizabeth Kernodle and Melissa Holland. Cotton/Harris led the team with seven total doubles victories, followed by the team of Hanson and junior Katherine Ptak. Playing at the number one position, Hanson/Ptak secured six doubles tallies this season. The duo was also Western's lone representatives at the Wilson ITA Southeast Regionals back in October, earning WCU's first-ever victory at the prestigious event.
The Furman Lady Paladins earned the tourney's top seed, followed by Davidson, East Tennessee State, College of Charleston, and UNC Greensboro, rounding out the top five. The first five seeds all earned byes in the first round, not seeing action until Friday in Charleston.
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