JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- In the battle of the Southern Conference's unbeaten teams, No. 71 Furman smoked ETSU, 6-1, Saturday to claim the SoCon regular season title at the Dave Mullins Tennis Center in Johnson City, Tenn.  

With the victory, Furman (15-4, 7-0 SoCon) earned the No. 1 seed in next week's league tournament.  The Paladins, who won their 28th regular season title, will play No. 8 Western Carolina Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the opening round of the conference championships, which will be held at Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.

ETSU drops to 13-7 overall and 6-1 in the SoCon and will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament.

The Paladins claimed two doubles wins to take the first point.  Freshmen Sasha Dimitrov and Molly Robinson blew past Niyati Kukreti and Audelie Lesauvage, 6-1, at flight three, before the Bucs evened the slate when Julia Millan and Ksenija Rage recorded a 6-2 advantage over freshman Bianca Ceroni and junior Macy Hitchcock at flight two.  In the decisive number one contest, freshmen Elle Warren and Lillie Murphy outlasted Alessandra Caceres and Mariangel Estrella to secure the point.

Furman quickly scored three singles points to win the championship.  Freshman Lily Doherty won by forfeit at flight six, then Murphy blasted Caceres, 6-2, 6-3, at flight two.  Ceroni defeated Kukreti, 6-4, 6-4, at number four to clinch the match, before Estrella came from behind to beat Dimitrov, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2, at flight six to score ETSU's lone point.  

The Paladins won the final two singles matches, as Warren held off Rage, 6-4, 7-5, at flight one, and Hitchcock topped Millan, 6-4, 6-3, at number three. 

"The passion and poise in big moments this team has consistently played with throughout the course of the regular season is truly impressive," said Furman head coach Michelle Dasso, who is in her fourth year at the helm of the Paladin program.  "The coaching staff has so much respect for our team's competitive nature and how they represent Furman.

"My assistant, Isabelle Boulais, has been fantastic and a huge credit goes to her for our success this year," continued Dasso.  "It was such an added bonus to have Ellie Schulson on-court coaching and preparing the girls for battle."

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Furman vs. ETSU • 04/11/2025 at Johnson City, Tenn. • Dave Mullins Tennis Center
#71 Furman 6, ETSU 1
Singles competition
1. Elle Warren (FUR) def. Ksenija Rage (ETSU) 6-4, 7-5
2. Lillie Murphy (FUR) def. Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Macy Hitchcock (FUR) def. Julia Millan (ETSU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Bianca Ceroni (FUR) def. Niyati Kukreti (ETSU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Mariangel Estrella (ETSU) def. Sasha Dimitrov (FUR) 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 
6. Lily Doherty (FUR) def. No player (ETSU), by walkover

Doubles competition
1. #44 Elle Warren/Lillie Murphy (FUR) def. Alessandra Caceres/Mariangel Estrella (ETSU) 7-5 
2. Julia Millan/Ksenija Rage (ETSU) def. Bianca Ceroni/Macy Hitchcock (FUR) 6-2
3. Molly Robinson/Sasha Dimitrov (FUR) def. Niyati Kukreti/Audelie Lesauvage (ETSU) 6-1

Match Notes: Furman 15-4, 7-0 SoCon; National ranking #71 • ETSU 13-7, 6-1 SoCon
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,2,4,5,1,3)