pc_tennis_2021
Jim Killian/CSU Sports
2
Gardner-Webb GWUW (5-7, 2-3)
4
Winner Charleston Southern CHSO (9-7, 6-0)
Gardner-Webb GWUW
(5-7, 2-3)
2
Final
4
Charleston Southern CHSO
(9-7, 6-0)
Winner

Match Recap: Women's Tennis |

Championship Bound: Bucs take down Gardner-Webb 4-2 in semifinals

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Top-seeded Charleston Southern tennis took down fourth-seeded Gardner-Webb 4-2 in the Big South women's tennis semifinals Saturday morning clinching their 10th trip to the Big South Championship in program history.

Charleston Southern (9-7, 6-0 Big South) got out to a 1-0 lead with wins on the final two doubles courts as Zoe Cauthen and Tiffany Pyritz – All-Big South Second Team Doubles performers – clinched the point.

Gardner-Webb (5-7, 2-3 Big South) got on the board to tie it at 1-1 behind a straight-set win on court three before the Bucs answered with back-to-back wins from Luiza Fullana (6-3, 6-0) on court two and Michelle Schmitz (6-4, 6-2) on the fifth flight pushed the Runnin' Bulldogs to the brink.

Miljana Ristic would make it a 3-2 Buccaneer lead on a 6-2, 7-5 win at the top flight but junior All-Big South performer Tiffany Pyritz ended the match with a gut-check 6-3, 7-6 win on the final court.

The win secures a season sweep of the Runnin' Bulldogs and gives the Bucs five-straight wins heading into the title match.

How It Happened
  • Luiza Fullana and Michelle Schmitz made quick work on doubles court three taking the match by a 6-1 score
  • Zoe Cauthen and Tiffany Pyritz clinched the doubles point taking a 6-2 decision on court two for a 1-0 Buccaneer lead
  • Teodora Ristic tied the match at 1-1 with a straight-set win on court three
  • Luiza Fullana answered almost immediately with a quick 6-3, 6-0 win on the second flight for a 2-1 lead
  • Michelle Schmitz made it 3-1 on court five winning in straight sets
  • Gardner-Webb's ace made it a 3-2 match winning in straight sets before Tiffany Pyritz ended the match in a second-set tiebreak
News and Notes
  • Charleston Southern advances to the championship match for the 10th time in program history
  • CSU has now won three-straight postseason matches against the Runnin' Bulldogs and are 3-1
  • Saturday's semifinal win was the 21st all-time postseason win for the Bucs, the most among active Big South programs
  • CSU improves to 11-8 in postseason matches in the Tar Heel state
  • Sunday's championship match appearance is the first since the 2017 season
  • Michelle Schmitz collected her eighth singles win of the season, second-most on the roster in the 2021 spring
Up Next
Top-seeded Charleston Southern heads to Sunday's Big South Championship where they will face No. 3 Radford at noon. The Bucs are 6-0 all-time against the Highlanders in the Big South tournament with their last meeting coming in the 2013 season.

Charleston Southern 4, Gardner-Webb 2

Singles
Miljana Ristic (GWU) def. Madalina Man (CHSO) 6-2, 7-5
Luiza Fullana (CHSO) def. Daniela Naupari (GWU) 6-3, 6-0
Teodora Ristic (GWU) def. Khyanna Singh (CHSO) 6-0, 6-3
Zoe Cauthen (CHSO) vs. Manon Delsol (GWU) 6-1, 6-7 (unfinished)
Michelle Schmitz (CHSO) def. Maria Jardim (GWU) 6-4, 6-2
Tiffany Pyritz (CHSO) def. Valentine Limauge (GWU) 6-3, 7-6

Doubles
Man/Singh (CHSO) vs. M. Ristic/Naupari (GWU) 4-3 (unfinished)
Cauthen/Pyritz (CHSO) def. T. Ristic/Delsol (GWU) 6-2
Fullana/Schmitz (CHSO) def. Hellberg/Jardim (GWU) 6-1

Order of Finish
Singles: 3, 2, 5, 1, 6
Doubles: 3, 2
 
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