LEXINGTON, S.C. – The No. 5 seed Presbyterian College women's tennis team (7-13, 1-3 Big South) will open play in the first round of the Big South Championship on Thursday morning (April 16), facing the No. 4 seed NJIT at 11:00 a.m. at the Lexington County Tennis Complex.
The winner of the first round meeting between the Blue Hose and Highlanders will battle the No. 1 seed Longwood on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. The championship match will take place on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
MATCH NOTES
- Live scoring will be available for all matches.
BLUE HOSE NOTES
- Presbyterian is the No. 5 seed in the Big South Championship.
- PC dropped its final match of the regular season on April 8 on the road at UNC Asheville.
- Ladina Bruhin leads the Blue Hose in singles this season, having won a total of matches. Five of her victories have come on the top court. She was named to the All-Big South Singles Second Team on Wednesday.
- Mary Ellen Longmire is second on the team in singles with eight wins this year playing primarily on court six. She was named to the Big South All-Academic Team on Wednesday.
- Grace Katzman and Longmire power the Blue Hose in doubles this season. They have an outstanding 9-3 record as one of the best doubles teams in the Big South. They have won eight of their nine matches on court two, where they boast an 8-2 record.
- Bruhin and Roxy Valdes are second on the team in doubles, right behind Katzman and Longmire with an 8-6 record (5-1 on court three). Bruhin and Valdes were named to the All-Big South Doubles Second Team on Wednesday.
BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Blue Hose have played 11 total matches in the Big South Championship, dating back to 2013. PC's last victory was a quarterfinal win over Charleston Southern in 2018.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BLUE HOSE
The Blue Hose return four from last season to this year's squad. McKenzie Davis, Mary Ellen Longmire, Sofia Rodrigo Hidalgo, and Elle Sceney are all back for Presbyterian. Five newcomers join PC this season as well. Katherine Bauer, Ladina Bruhin, Luciana Parrilli, and Roxy Valdes highlight the Blue Hose freshmen class. Finally, sophomore transfer Grace Katzman comes to the Blue Hose from North Greenville University.
FALL BIG SOUTH DOUBLES CHAMPIONS
McKenzie Davis and Ladina Bruhin won the second-ever edition of the Big South Fall Doubles Championship as the No. 3 seed in October. The pair picked up three wins in the tournament to claim the title, clinching the championship with an 8-4 win in the final over the No. 5 seed Marina Skegro and Carlota Farres of Charleston Southern. The duo earned automatic entry into the ITA Conference Masters Championships in San Diego by way of their victory, where they reached the round of 16.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
- NJIT and PC have split the two all-time meetings between the two programs. The Highlanders took the first matchup 4-2 in Clinton back in 2017. Presbyterian defeated NJIT 4-3 in a thrilling match on March 19 in Clinton.
- Sofia Rodrigo Hidalgo won the clincher against the Highlanders earlier this season on court five.
- This is the first year that NJIT is competing in the Big South in women's tennis.
- The Highlanders finished the regular season with a 14-6 overall record. NJIT comes into Thursday's match having won four of its past five matches, picking up wins over Gardner-Webb, Temple, Drexel, and Monmouth.
- Head coach Patricia Piorkowski McDonald is in her 4th season at the helm for NJIT.
