TWU, SCAD Punch Tickets to AAC Title Match

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Appalachian Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Tournament semifinals followed the seed line Tuesday morning, as No. 1 seed Tennessee Wesleyan and No. 2 seed SCAD Atlanta each posted 4-0 victories at Champions Tennis Club to move into the championship match.

The semifinal round opened with both favorites controlling doubles play before adding straight-set singles wins to close out their spots in the final.

Tennessee Wesleyan's 4-0 win over Milligan came in the first semifinal. The Bulldogs took two completed doubles courts and carried that edge into singles. Ivet Prat and Ruslana Kovalenko won doubles No. 2 by a 6-1 score, and Honoka Tsuji and Laia Berne added a 6-0 result at doubles No. 3. The doubles No. 1 court, with Olivia Alcala and Ana Serrano facing Madison Berry and Melissa Duarte, was listed at 5-1 in Tennessee Wesleyan's favor while team totals marked that line as tied.

In singles, Tennessee Wesleyan secured the needed points with straight-set results from Berne and Margarita Tatur, while team scoring also reflected Serrano's unfinished court. Berne beat Madison Berry 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3 singles, and Tatur defeated Laurel Rich 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6. Serrano was shown leading Parker White 1-0 in the first set at No. 5, and the team totals counted that court toward the final score. Other unfinished lines also favored Tennessee Wesleyan, including Kovalenko leading Melissa Duarte 6-1, 5-2, and Alcala ahead of Tara Stewart 6-1, 5-1. The file listed the overall match as in progress, but the team result was recorded as a 4-0 semifinal victory for the top seed.

SCAD Atlanta matched that result in the second semifinal, defeating Brenau 4-0 in a match listed as final after 1 hour, 35 minutes. SCAD Atlanta established itself early in doubles, with Shalimar Talbi and Adrianna Kluska winning doubles No. 1, 6-1, and Carmine Becoude and Manuella Eloundou taking doubles No. 3, 6-3. The doubles No. 2 line stood at 5-4 in favor of Joann Leijten and Stella De Vera when the match ended, and team totals credited SCAD Atlanta with that court.

The Beehives then closed out the semifinal behind three completed singles wins in straight sets. Talbi defeated Kristina Radovic 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, Eloundou beat Nadja Noriega-Alcala 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4, and Kluska earned a 6-3, 6-1 win over Anita Bizigato Portes at No. 6. SCAD Atlanta also held favorable positions on unfinished courts, including Anastasija Stojanovic's 7-6, 7-2 tiebreak line against Emma Ackermann and Becoude's advantage over Maëlys Perle Pigeonneau. Brenau was limited to no completed team points in doubles or singles as the No. 2 seed advanced.

With both semifinals ending in 4-0 decisions, the championship match will now feature the top two seeds at Champions Tennis Club. Tennessee Wesleyan and SCAD Atlanta will square off for the green banner on Wednesday at 10 am.

Tennessee Wesleyan and SCAD Atlanta met in the title match last year with the Bees pulling out a hard-fought 4-3 victory.

Monday, April 20 - All matches will begin at 10 a.m.
Match 1 - No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan def. No. 8 Truett McConnell, 4-0 (box)
Match 2 - No. 2 SCAD Atlanta vs. No. 7 Columbia, 4-0 (box)
Match 3 - No. 3 Brenau def. No. 6 Montreat, 4-1 (box)
Match 4 - No. 5 Milligan def. No. 4 Johnson, 4-2 (box)

Tuesday, April 21 - All matches will begin at 10 a.m.
Match 5 - No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan def. No. 5 Milligan, 4-0 (box)
Match 6 - No. 2 SCAD Atlanta def. No. 3 Brenau, 4-0 (box)

Wednesday, April 22 - Match will begin at 10 a.m.
Match 7 - Championship Match - No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan vs. No. 2 SCAD Atlanta