CHARLOTTE – The Big South Conference Women's Tennis Championship is scheduled for today with the #1 Charleston Southern Buccaneers facing the #3 Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. This is the first time in school history that GWU has made an appearance in the finals of the event.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs knocked off the #6 Radford Highlanders on Friday, April 15 on a 4-0 decision to advance to the semifinals to play #2 Campbell. However, due to COVID concerns within the Camels program, they were forced to forfeit the match, allowing the 'Dogs to advance to the title match.

Gardner-Webb heads into the match after having three players earn All-Big South honors. Teodora Ristic was named the Player of the Year for the conference as well as earning a spot to the First-Team for singles and doubles with her partner, Maria Jardim. In addition to the selection to the All-Conference Team for doubles, she was named to the All-Academic Team. Manon Delsol rounded out the team's selections, earning a spot to the First-Team for singles after going 5-2 in conference play from the #2 flight. Head Coach Jim Corn finished second in the Coach of the Year voting as well. 
 
Charleston Southern won the regular-season title after going a perfect 8-0 in Big South matches and have won 18 consecutive conference matches dating back to the 2022 season. The team's coach, Anca Dumitrescu won the Big South Coach of the Year Award based on her team's overall success. The Buccaneers earned a first-round bye with their #1 overall seed and defeated #4 UNC Asheville 4-0 yesterday to seal their spot in the championship of the tournament.
 
CSU has used all nine players consistently this season, with eight of them each playing at least 11 singles matches and 10 doubles, all collecting winning records. The team went 35-6 in Big South singles matches with seven different players earning a postseason award from the conference.
 
Earlier this season, the Buccaneers traveled to GWU and defeated them 5-2 for their sixth Big South win of the year, spoiling the Senior Day celebrations for the 'Dogs. This was the first home loss within conference play and snapped the team's four-match home unbeaten streak within the conference.
 
On this day, Charleston Southern won the early doubles point, clinching on court No. 3. The match at 2 went unfinished, but GWU's duo of Ristic and Jardim went leading 5-2 at its conclusion over an All-Big duo in Noa Boyd and Amila Jusufbegovic. In singles, Ristic won her match in the topflight in a shocking 6-0, 6-0 decision against the runner-up in the conference's player of the year voting, Luiza Fallana.
 
The Buccaneers were able to win in positions 3 and 5, each in straight sets, to reclaim the lead and put them a point away from clinching the match win. Between these two players, they posted an 11-2 record, one earning a spot on the All-Conference Second-Team and the other as an All-Academic Team selection. Hellberg won 6-3, 7-5 in her match at #4 to keep the match alive, against another eventual All-Big South selection.
 
The day concluded with CSU overcoming first set losses in the remaining two matches to win each in three sets. Zoe Cauthen defeated Elise Semmartin on court 6 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to clinch the win, followed by All-Big South selection Laura Marti winning against Delsol 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 at #2.
 
Live scoring for today's championship match can be found here. The winner of the championship will clinch an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship Tournament.