GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's tennis team will face Carson-Newman University in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, South Carolina on Thursday, April 18.
The Pioneers are seeded fourth in the tournament after winning a three-way tiebreaker with Carson-Newman and Catawba. All three teams finished with an identical 8-4 record in league play, with the Pioneers ending the season with a 14-7 overall mark.
The Pioneers and Eagles will play Thursday at 2 p.m., with the winner moving to the semifinals on Friday at 1 p.m. against the winner of the match between top-seeded Wingate and eighth-seeded Anderson. The championship match will be played Saturday at 1 p.m.
Tusculum earned a 4-3 victory over Carson-Newman in their regular-season matchup that was started on April 8 and finished on April 9 due to rain. This is the second year in a row that the teams have met in the SAC quarterfinals, with the Pioneers winning 4-3 en route to the fourth SAC tournament title in program history.
The Pioneers are 4-0 all-time in the SAC Championship tournament against the Eagles, including quarterfinal wins in 2000, 2018 and last season along with the 2008 championship match. Tusculum leads the all-time series against Carson-Newman by a 24-9 margin.
PIONEER PREVIEW
Junior Elodie Baechler (La Rippe, Switzerland) moved into the number one singles position at midseason and has gone 4-4 at the top spot in the lineup. Baechler is 15-6 overall with an 11-4 record in dual matches, and is 42-36 for her career.
Senior Valentina Loretz (San Mateo Atenco, Mexico) has a 16-9 record for the Pioneers this season and is 4-3 at flight two. Loretz, who has played at least four matches at each of the top three singles flights, has a 60-27 career singles record for the Pioneers.
Sophomore Ylva Frafjord Landa (Sandnes, Norway) leads the Pioneers in singles victories with a 19-7 record, and posted an 8-4 record in conference play with a 5-2 mark at flight three. Landa is 35-18 in two seasons with the Pioneers in singles action.
Senior Paulina Loretz (San Mateo Atenco, Mexico) has gone 8-4 at flight four and is 14-9 overall this season, giving her a career singles record of 61-38. Freshman Thilda Danielsson (Ahus, Sweden) is 7-10 in dual matches for the Pioneers, while senior Johanna Palacio (Mar del Plata, Argentina) has gone 14-7 overall this season, with an 8-4 record at flight six.
In doubles, Baechler and Valentina Loretz are 8-8 at flight one and 14-10 overall this season, while Landa and Paulina Loretz have gone 7-6 this season, all at flight two. At flight three, Danielsson and freshman Johanna Selde (Bjarred, Sweden) have compiled a 4-8 record as a duo.
South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Championship
at Sumter, South Carolina (Palmetto Tennis Center)
Thursday, April 18 (quarterfinals)
Match 1: #8 Anderson vs. #1 Wingate, 2 p.m.
Match 2: #5 Carson-Newman vs. #4 Tusculum, 2 p.m.
Match 3: #7 Newberry vs. #2 Lenoir-Rhyne, 2 p.m.
Match 4: #6 Catawba vs. #3 Limestone, 2 p.m.
Friday, April 19 (semifinals)
Match 5: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 1 p.m.
Match 6: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 20 (finals)
Match 7: Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 1 p.m.
