Tennis Lady ‘Cat netters fall 4-0 in MEC finals to Fairmont State

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The top two seeds in the Mountain East Conference Women’s Tennis Championship are set to meet in the final.

No. 1 University of Charleston and No. 2 Fairmont State University each cruised to 4-0 wins in Saturday’s semifinal, setting the stage for Sunday’s championship which UC won by a 4-0 score

SEMIFINALS

1 Charleston def. #4 West Liberty, 4-0

UC did not lose a games in four matches to quickly eliminate the Hilltoppers. The Golden Eagles’ doubles teams at Nos. 2 and 3 each won 6-0 to claim a point.

In singles play, the Nos. 4, 5, and 6 singles players each won 6-0, 6-0.

2 Fairmont State def. #3 West Virginia Wesleyan, 4-0

The Falcons cruised through Saturday’s semifinal. Fairmont State’s top two doubles teams dropped a combined six games across two sets, and then the Nos. 2, 4, and 6 singles players won in straight sets to end the match.

At No. 2, Hope Backx defeated Sneha Sundaraneedi, 6-2, 6-2. No. 4, Lara Smith, beat Gabby Dooling 6-3, 6-0. And then at No. 6, Emma McKnight defeated Emilie Bergman, 6-2, 6-1.

FINALS

1 Charleston def. #4 Fairmont State, 4-0

The University of Charleston defeated Fairmont State University, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon to capture the 2025 Mountain East Conference Women’s Tennis Championship.

With the win, the Golden Eagles secured the MEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship. The NCAA Division II women’s tennis tournament selection show can be streaming at 8:30 p.m. on Monday on NCAA.com.

UC, the top seed in the two-day event held at the Charleston Tennis Club and Schoenbaum Courts in Charleston, took two out of three doubles matches to claim the first point. In singles play, the Golden Eagles won at Nos. 6, 5, and 3 — in that order — to secure the title. Michelle Connor (No. 3), Riva Hondiashvili (No. 5), and Harriet Glaves (No. 6) all recorded straight-set victories against Fairmont State.

Next up is NCAA competition. Following the preliminary rounds, the field of 16 teams competes in a single-elimination competition to reach the championship final. Matches begin with the first round on Wednesday, May 21 and continue through the championship match on Sunday, May 25 at 9 a.m. ET at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

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