Women's Tennis Opens 2018 Season in Charlotte

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's tennis gets the season underway on Saturday at the Clemson Duckworth held in Charlotte at the Charlotte Indoor Tennis Club.

SCHEDULE
Saturday | App State vs. UNC Wilmington | 2:30 p.m.
Saturday | App State at Clemson | 5:30 p.m.
Sunday | App State vs. Charleston Southern | 10:30 a.m.

About the Mountaineers
App State is in its second year in the Blake Mosley Era after posting five wins in his debut campaign. App State features a roster of experience and youth with the Mountaineers returning five of nine athletes from last season and five talented freshmen that Mosley signed in his first recruiting class. Four of the players returning all won a career high in either singles or doubles. Taylor Bygrave returns following a sophomore campaign where she earned a team-high nine singles matches including wins over Wake Forest and North Carolina. Bygrave and Melissa Machado are back with the most victories as a doubles tandem as they ended the year with a 6-4 mark, while Machado is one of the leaders returning with eight total doubles wins. Heidi Swope is in her third season coming off a personal-high seven wins, and Rebecca Morse posted a career-best six victories in her second season at App. Swope is back as the doubles wins leader after she won eight with former Mountaineer, McKayla Zupan. The Mountaineers are ready to take the next step in the right direction. With the talent returning and the newcomers, App feels it can post its first winning season since 2012-13. "We had a great fall, and we are looking to carry that momentum over into the Spring," head coach Blake Mosely stated. "The team has been working very hard, so we're excited about this weekend. We have three tough matches in UNCW, Clemson and Charleston Southern. We'll use these non-conference matches to prepare for our conference matches and the Sun Belt Tournament at the end of the season. If we fight hard, we'll give ourselves a chance to have a fun and successful season."

Who is New
App State brings in five newcomers in Sandra Anglesjö, Emily Gaskins, María José Zacarias, Teodora Sevo and Kate Earnhardt. The quartet of Angelsjö, Gaskins, Zacarias and Sevo all posted solid fall campaigns including a great showing from Sevo and Zacarias picking up wins at the Lakewood Ranch Classic against Power Five programs. Kate Earnhardt committed to App during the fall and will join the team this spring. She boasted a stellar 36-3 mark with an undefeated record in conference action and was all-conference back-to-back seasons in her junior and senior year.

Previewing the Field
The three foes this weekend will be a tough first test for the Mountaineers. All three squads boasted winning seasons last year combining for a 45-24 mark including a 17-3 record from Charleston Southern. Clemson is one of three ACC opponents (Virginia Tech, NC State) on the schedule this season, while UNC Wilmington is one of nine in-state foes the Apps will play this season.

Scouting UNC Wilmington
The Seahawks finished 11-8 last season with three of their top wins leaders in singles play returning and their top doubles tandem back. Madara Straume posted a team-best 16-3 mark as the No. 1 in the lineup while she teamed up with Sabrina Barisano for a UNCW-high 14-2 record as the primary duo. Barisano played in four different positions and posted an 11-8 record. 

Scouting Clemson
Clemson finished 14-13 overall with a 7-7 mark in ACC action last season en route to an NCAA appearance, capturing a win in the first round over Washington. Marie-Alexandre Leduc is 20th in the nation after a solid run at the Oracle ITA Master's where she advanced to the quarterfinals. Constanza Gorches paced the team in singles play with a 15-8 mark while Fernanda Navarro ended the year with a 13-8 record. Navarro and Daniela Ruiz partnered up for a 16-2 record, while Leduc was one half of a tandem that went 16-4 as the No.1 in the lineup. Clemson finished the season with a 73-74 record as a team in singles action and 42-23 in doubles play. 

Scouting Charleston Southern
The Buccaneers posted an impressive 17-3 mark and a 7-1 record in the Big South Conference. CSU advanced to the BSC Final against Winthrop but fell in the title match. CSU returns three of tits top wins leaders including Sophie Cloessner, who went 17-2 including a 14-1 mark as the No. 2. Valeria Koussenkova ended her season with a 16-2 mark followed by Kimberley Koerner's record of 15-4. CSU finished the season with a solid 85-30 (.739) record in singles play. CSU went 38-20 (.655) in doubles action but lost the top two teams with graduation.

What's Next
App will face its second ACC foe in three matches on Friday when it travels to Blacksburg, Va. for a 5 p.m. matchup against Virginia Tech.