FLORENCE, SC – For the second day in a row, junior Gabriel Karatantcheva and sophomore Camryn Cassetori rallied to win the doubles point for Francis Marion University and the Patriots went on to claim a 6-1 Conference Carolinas win, this time over Emmanuel College (Ga.) on a windy Saturday afternoon (March 26) in women's tennis action.
 
FMU ups its overall record to 8-3 with its seventh consecutive victory, the longest winning streak since an 11-match string in 2016.  The Patriots improve to 3-0 in conference play.
 
Francis Marion will host a pair of conference matches this coming weekend: Friday at 2 p.m. against Lees-McRae College and Saturday at 1 p.m. against King University (Tenn.).
 
In doubles play against the Lions, senior Hermon Mikael and freshman Paige Wise quickly registered a 6-3 win at the top spot, but Emmanuel captured a 6-3 victory at the No.2 position.  The doubles point again came down to the No.3 spot where Karatantcheva and Cassetori rallied from a late 5-4 deficit to win 7-6 (7-4 in the tiebreaker) and put Francis Marion up 1-0 heading into singles action.
 
That win also ups the pair's season mark to 9-2.
 
Wise opened singles action with a straight-sets 6-2, 6-0 win at the No.1 slot and freshman Sophia Hansen was victorious 6-2, 6-2 at No.5 singles to give the Patriots a 3-0 advantage.  Karatantcheva then clinched the match with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Emmanuel's Darja Chistov at No.3 singles.  Karatantcheva has lost only one singles match in eight decisions in 2022, while Hansen is 8-2.
 
Sophomore Julie Martincova (6-4, 6-3) and Cassetori (6-1, 2-6, 1-0 (10-5)) accounted for the other two FMU wins with victories at positions No.4 and 6 respectively.
 
 
Women's Tennis Match Results
3/26/2022 at Florence, SC (Kassab Courts)
Francis Marion University 6, Emmanuel College 1
Singles competition
1. Paige Wise (FMUW) def. Alejandra Guerrero (ECWT) 6-2, 6-0
2. Soleny Gonzalez (ECWT) def. Hermon Mikael (FMUW) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 1-0 (10-7)
3. G. Karatantcheva (FMUW) def. Darja Chistov (ECWT) 6-2, 7-5
4. Julie Martincova (FMUW) def. Shatavisa Ghosh (ECWT) 6-4, 6-3
5. Sophia Hansen (FMUW) def. Selina Donecker (ECWT) 6-2, 6-2
6. Camryn Cassetori (FMUW) def. Zyanya Rogel (ECWT) 6-1, 2-6, 1-0 (10-5)
Doubles competition
1. Paige Wise/Hermon Mikael (FMUW) def. Alejandra Guerrero/Darja Chistov (ECWT) 6-3
2. Soleny Gonzalez/Shatavisa Ghosh (ECWT) def. Kim Venghaus/Julie Martincova (FMUW) 6-3
3. G. Karatantcheva/Camryn Cassetori (FMUW) def. Lauren Castillon/Zyanya Rogel (ECWT) 7-6 (7-4)
 
Match Notes:  Emmanuel College 2-13 , 1-2
Francis Marion University 8-3, 3-0
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,5,3,2,4,6)