CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Furman women's tennis team blanked Western Carolina in its Southern Conference opener, 6-0, 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 at No. 1 and No. 3 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, to capture the point.
In singles, Furman swept all six matches to secure the 7-0 win. The Paladins immediately jumped ahead, 2-0, with Doherty picking up a win by forfeit at No. 5. 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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Furman vs Western Carolina • 03/19/2026 at Cullowhee, N.C. • Catamount Athletic Complex
Furman 6, Western Carolina 0
Singles competition
1. Lillie Murphy (FUR) def. Mariya Dobreva (WCU) 6-2, 6-1
2. Elle Warren (FUR) def. Mia Miranda (WCU) 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-5)
3. Macy Hitchcock (FUR) def. Axelle Van (WCU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Molly Robinson (FUR) def. Kelly Coetzee (WCU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Lily Doherty (FUR) def. Zoe Lui (WCU), by forfeit
6. TEAM (FUR) def. TEAM (WCU), no result
Doubles competition
1. #31 Lillie Murphy/Elle Warren (FUR) def. Mariya Dobreva/Mia Miranda (WCU) 6-2
2. Axelle Van/Kelly Coetzee (WCU) def. Macy Hitchcock/Molly Robinson (FUR) 6-2
3. Bianca Ceroni/Lily Doherty (FUR) def. TEAM/TEAM (WCU), by forfeit
Match Notes: Furman 9-4, 1-0 • Western Carolina 2-12, 0-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,5,1,3,4,2) T-2:15