CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Furman women's tennis team swept the Western Carolina Catamounts in its Southern Conference opener, 7-0, Thursday afternoon at the Catamount Athletic Complex.

The Paladins move to 9-4 overall and 1-0 in the SoCon. The loss drops Western Carolina to 2-11 on the year and 0-2 in conference play.

Furman clinched the doubles point winning all three matches to take a 1-0 lead. The Paladins quickly secured the No. 3 match with Bianca Ceroni and Lily Doherty winning by forfeit. In the No. 1 contest, the 31^st-ranked tandem of Lillie Murphy and Elle Warren topped Mariya Dobreva and Mia Miranda, 6-2. Macy Hitchcock and Molly Robinson closed out doubles at No. 2 with a 6-2 triumph over Kelly Coetzee and Axelle Van.

In singles, Furman swept all six matches to secure the 7-0 win. The Paladins immediately jumped ahead, 3-0, with Doherty picking up a win by forfeit at No. 5 and the Paladins earning another win by forfeit at No. 6. Playing at No. 1, Murphy defeated Dobreva in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, and Hitchcock registered a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 3 against Van. Warren and Robinson closed out the contest with victories at No. 2 and No. 4. In the No. 4 match, Robinson won 6-2, 6-4 versus Coetzee and Warren, playing at No. 2, turned in a three-set win over Miranda, 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-5).

Furman stays in SoCon play Saturday afternoon traveling to UNC Greensboro for a 1 p.m. match against the Spartans. Live scoring and live statistics for the match will be available on the Furman website.

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