Furman University defeated East Tennessee State University (ETSU) 6-1 on April 11 to claim the Southern Conference regular season women’s tennis title at the Dave Mullins Tennis Center in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The match determined the top seed for next week’s league tournament, with Furman securing the No. 1 spot after winning its 28th regular season title. The Paladins will face Western Carolina in the opening round of the conference championships at Champions Club in Chattanooga.
Furman took an early lead by winning two out of three doubles matches. Freshmen Sasha Dimitrov and Molly Robinson won their match decisively, while freshmen Elle Warren and Lillie Murphy secured the crucial point at number one doubles. In singles play, freshman Lily Doherty won by forfeit, Murphy earned a straight-set victory, and Bianca Ceroni clinched the overall win with her singles result. ETSU’s only point came from Mariangel Estrella’s comeback against Dimitrov.
Head coach Michelle Dasso said, “The passion and poise in big moments this team has consistently played with throughout the course of the regular season is truly impressive.” Dasso added praise for her staff: “My assistant, Isabelle Boulais, has been fantastic and a huge credit goes to her for our success this year. It was such an added bonus to have Ellie Schulson on-court coaching and preparing the girls for battle.”
With this result, Furman’s record stands at 15-4 overall and a perfect 7-0 in conference play; ETSU falls to second place with a record of 13-7 overall and 6-1 in conference competition.
Looking ahead, Furman enters postseason play as favorites based on their performance during the regular season.
