BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's tennis (10-5) heads to Conway, S.C. for a POD weekend facing Georgia State (8-11) on Saturday at 2 p.m. before concluding the weekend with a 1 p.m. match against Coastal Carolina (10-5) on Sunday.
The Mountaineers' contests against the Panthers and Chanticleers are the first Sun Belt contests of the season. App's stretch over the final stretch of the regular season isn't easy as five of those six contests are on the road with four Sun Belt affairs. In 2017, App State's lone win against a Sun Belt opponent was a thrilling 4-3 victory against archrival Georgia Southern.
App State is coming off a tight-knit 5-2 win over UNCG to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2013 and double last season's win total, while through 15 matches last season, App was only 4-11. Appalachian is also 7-1 in the previous eight contests since a 3-4 start to the slate. The Mountaineers fell in heartbreaking fashion in doubles to the Spartans with UNCG claiming two wins, which both were in tiebreakers. App State captured five of six singles wins.
Heidi Swope sealed the win for App in a hard-fought three-set win.
Rebecca Morse also picked up her best victory of the season, as she handed Brianna Gomez her first loss of the season in a three-set match. Gomez came into the match with an 11-0 mark.
Five Mountaineers have at least eight wins with
Taylor Bygrave,
Melissa Machado, and
María José Zacarias all having nine wins. Morse rounds out the leaders with a career-high eight wins and counting. With wins by Bygrave, Machado, Zacarias, it would be the first time since 2015 a student-athlete has 10 singles wins. Appalachian is 51-34 (.600) in singles.
Machado and Sevo lead doubles with a stellar 11-3 mark. The duo's 11 victories are the most since Jennifer Ansari/Ellie Linsell won 12 matches in 2012. Swope and Zacarias are one win away from 10 victories, boasting a 9-3 record. The top two duos are a combined 20-6, which leads to the Black and Gold's 28-12 (.700) doubles mark.
Scouting Georgia State
The Panthers are 2-9 in their last 11 matches but have played some formidable opponents in Tennessee, Miami (Fl.) and SMU. The season for GSU is highlighted by a win over then-No. 31 Kansas State on the road. GSU is 2-1 against league opponents with wins over UL Monroe and Coastal Carolina.
Scouting Coastal Carolina
Coastal has won its last three matches with wins over College of Charleston, USC Upstate, and Charlotte. The Chanticleers have yet to lose at home this season with a 6-0 mark. Sara Bondar is 10-4 in singles to pace CCU, while four other players have at least eight wins to push the hosts to a 54-32 (.628) singles mark. Bondar and Somer Dalla-Bona are 6-5 in doubles to lead the team in that column. CCU is 26-16 (.619) in doubles this season.
App State will return to action on Monday, April 2 against Gardner-Webb in the final home match of the season. The Mountaineers will honor Machado, Bygrave and Melissa Anthony for Senior Day.
