No. 69 College of Charleston women’s tennis remains first in the Southern Conference after a 7-0 victory over visiting Wofford March 31. The win gave the women’s tennis team sole possession of the top spot in the Southern Conference rankings.
C of C (15-9, 8-0 SoCon) swept the doubles matches to take an early 1-0 lead over the Terriers (1-16, 0-6 SoCon). Senior Holly Dowse and junior Emma Hayman returned to the top spot after a one-match hiatus. The pair, ranked 31st nationally in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, clinched the doubles point for C of C with an 8-3 victory for their sixth straight victory as the top-seeded doubles team.
Junior Kinsey Casey and freshman Irene Viana recorded the first win of the afternoon for the Cougars with an 8-1 win at the No. 2 spot. Senior Laura Borza and sophomore Caroline Newman completed the sweep at doubles with an 8-3 win on the third court.
Five Cougars earned singles victories in straight sets while Dowse won by retirement at the No. 1 spot. Viana snapped a four-match losing streak with an easy 6-1, 6-1 win at the No. 5 spot and junior Keely Mulligan followed with a 6-0, 6-1 victory as the sixth seed.
Charleston held a 4-0 lead after Casey defeated her opponent 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 3 spot. Casey is now 6-2 against Southern Conference opponents.
Borza’s opponent stayed close at the No. 4 spot, but the Charleston senior outlasted her for a 6-4, 7-5 victory, and her fourth straight against a conference opponent. Newman finished the day with a 6-0, 6-2 route at the No. 2 spot. She leads the team with a 17-6 record in singles, including a perfect 8-0 conference mark.
C of C remains the only team unbeaten in conference play with a perfect 8-0 record. The team travels to Furman on April 7 to take on the Lady Paladins. The Cougars have only two conference matches remaining and two wins would clinch the regular season title for Charleston and hosting the Southern Conference Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships April 24-25.