BOONE, N.C. - With the arrival of the final week of the
regular season, Appalachian State University women's is set for its home finale
when the team takes on non-conference opponent Charlotte at ASU Tennis Courts
on Tuesday.
The Mountaineers (11-9, 4-5 SoCon) begin the week with a
rescheduled Southern Conference match on the road at Wofford on Monday before
returning to Boone to face the 49ers (14-4).
Appalachian concluded last week with a heart-breaking home
loss to Samford, 3-4. Samford took early control of the match by winning the
doubles point, despite an ASU win over the Bulldogs' regionally-ranked top
pair. In singles, the teams split the six available points, allowing Samford to
walk away with the victory.
With three matches to play, the Apps have matched their
total of 11 wins from last season, tying the program's best mark since 2006
(13-8).
Juniors Ellie Linsell and Jennifer Ansari led the Apps by posting 3-0 marks in two matches last week. Individually, each scored a 2-0 record in singles, while the duo teamed to finish 1-0 in doubles. Freshman Gabby Gabriel also had a perfect week, going 2-0 in a pair of showdowns in the No. 6 position.
Charlotte's impressive season began with the 49ers posting a
12-1 record, including wins over Atlantic 10 opponents Dayton and St.
Bonaventure. Charlotte did suffer a 2-5 loss to Elon, a team that the Apps
downed 4-3. Against other SoCon teams, Charlotte beat Wofford, 5-2, swept
Western Carolina, 7-0, and fell to UNCG, 2-5.
Individually, Natsuko Takayanagi leads the 49ers in singles
play, racking up a 21-5 mark on the year, including 15-3 in dual action (12-2
at No. 3 singles). Lisa Grosselius enters the match riding wins in her last two
matches and has a 13-5 dual record while playing primarily at No. 4 singles. In
doubles, Charlotte's Andrea Rivera and Alexandra Zinn are 12-3 in the top spot,
while Anna Ekelund and Grosselius are 14-1 in No. 2 doubles matches.
After Tuesday, the Mountaineers close out the regular season
on the road at ETSU on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
