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Location: Clemson, S.C., The Duckworth Family Tennis Facility
CLEMSON, S.C. – Western Carolina picked up their first doubles win of the season in their 6-0 loss against the Clemson Tigers on Sunday, Feb. 16 at The Duckworth Family Tennis Facility.
The Catamounts were competing without two of its players due to injury, which resulted in a walkover of singles’ match No. 6.
TURNING POINT:
After Clemson earned the first doubles win at No. 3, Jordan Strickland and Jacy Smith tied things up after defeating Tate Schroeder and Sydney Riley 6-3 at the No. 1 slot. The Tigers then went on to win after Mackenzy Middlebrooks and Zaina Nait Omar defeated Carli Deehr and Emily Elliot, 7-6, 7-4.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
Only five singles matches were played as the Catamounts continue to compete shorthanded due to injury.
Clemson claimed all five singles’ points, although Strickland put up a fight, taking her No. 2 match to 6-0 and 6-4.
The doubles decision came down to the result of the No. 2 match as the Catamounts and Tigers each earned wins at No. 3 and No. 1 respectively.
Strickland and Smith earned the Catamounts’ first doubles win of the season after defeating the Clemson pairing of Schroeder and Riley, 6-3.
NOTES:
Strickland and McCall are tied for second in the record books for most doubles wins in a career (40). They are one win away from tying program leader, Savannah Taranto’s 41 wins.
UPCOMING:
The Catamounts will be back in action on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. as they travel to South Carolina State to take on the Bulldogs.
For the latest information on Catamount women’s tennis, follow @catamounts on Twitter or go to http://www.catamountsports.com.
Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women’s tennis travels to Clemson Sunday for a 4 p.m. matchup at The Duckworth Family Tennis Facility.
The Catamounts’ last three matches versus Mercer on Feb. 7, Presbyterian on Feb. 9 and Radford on Feb. 12 have been postponed due to weather. Western Carolina are 0-3 entering Sunday’s match against the Tigers. The Catamounts continue to play short-handed as two of the team’s seven players are out due to injury.
Clemson enters Sunday’s match with a 7-2 record. The Tigers fell to South Carolina on Jan. 30 (1-6) and Georgia on Feb. 1 (0-7). The Tigers swept five of their nine matches earning perfect 7-0 wins in singles play.
Senior Jordan Strickland will look to extend her newly acquired program lead as she looks to build on her 38 singles’ wins. Strickland leads the Catamounts with a 2-1 singles’ record with Emily Elliot, Lauren McCall and Jacy Smith following with a 1-2 record.
The Catamounts will look to earn their first doubles win of the season against the Tigers.
Location: Boiling Springs, N.C., Webb Tennis Courts
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Western Carolina senior, Jordan Strickland, broke the career singles win record with her 38th win Saturday as the Catamounts dropped their road match against Gardner-Webb, 6-1.
The Catamounts were competing without two of its players due to injury and had to forfeit the No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles matches.
TURNING POINT:
Strickland held on to a nail-biting tie-breaker (14-12) to earn her record-breaking 38th career win. Strickland’s defeat of Gardner-Webb’s Teodora Ristic earned the Catamount’s only win of the afternoon.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
Strickland helped Western Carolina avoid a Bulldogs sweep by defeating Gardner Webb’s Ristic 1-6, 6-0, 14-12 at No. 2 singles.
Three out of the five singles’ matches went to a tie-break and one resulted in a win for the Catamounts (Strickland, 14-12).
The Catamounts are still looking for their first doubles’ win of the season.
The Bulldogs earned singles victories at No. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and doubles victories at No. 1 and 2 as well as 3 through a forfeit.
NOTES:
Strickland’s win breaks the Catamount career singles wins record and places her in sole possession of first place with 38 wins. Strickland surpassed former Catamount standout, Stacia Kissell (2013-14, 2016) who finished her career with 37 victories.
UPCOMING:
Western Carolina will return to the Catamount Athletic Complex for its home-opener and the opening of Southern Conference play with a match-up against the Mercer Bears on Friday, Feb. 7 at noon.
For the latest information on Catamount women’s tennis, follow @catamounts on Twitter or go to http://www.catamountsports.com.
Despite one of Western Carolina women’s basketball’s best performances of the season, the Catamounts fell to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 66-43 on Sunday.
After a fast start, the Catamounts and Chanticleers traded
leads until Coastal Carolina eventually got in a rhythm and took a 35-22 lead
at half-time. The Catamounts then took the momentum in the third quarter and
outscored the Chanticleers 14-13 while boasting a 44.4 three-point percentage.
Coastal Carolina had a strong fourth quarter to extend their lead and end the
game with a 23-point lead.
Western Carolina drained nine three-pointers in the game,
making it the seventh time in eight games that the Catamounts have hit seven or
more three-pointers in a game.
Sophomore guard, Jewel Smalls, had a standout performance,
surpassing two of her previous career-high stats. Smalls broke her career-high
for three-pointers in a game, draining five threes which surpassed her previous
mark of four she set earlier in the season. She snagged a career-best 18
rebounds, three more than her previous mark of 15. Smalls also extended her
double-figure performance streak to five straight games with her 18-point
night.
Catamounts head coach, Kiley Hill featured the third
different starting lineup of the season, with Tembre Moates making her first
start. Moates went 75 percent from the field making three of her four attempts
for a total of six points. Moates led the defensive effort with two blocks and
two rebounds.
Redshirt Junior guard, Lauren LaPlant, has made at least one
three-pointer in all eight games of the season. LaPlant had one three-pointer
and a field goal to notch five points on the night.
Sunday’s matchup marked the two universities’ 13th
matchup, with Coastal Carolina taking a seven to six lead in the series. The
series is now tied 3-to-3 in the Ramsey Center.
The Catamounts will be back in action Wednesday, Nov. 27 as
they travel to Gardner Webb to take on the Runnin’ Bulldogs. The game will be
broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available through the Catamount
Athletics website.
Freshman goalkeeper, Melody Mezzina, has had one of the best starts for the Catamounts since 2007.
Mezzina currently leads the Catamount goalkeepers in games played (12), minutes played (1014:55), goals-against average (1.24), saves (32), wins (7) and shutouts (5). She ranks fourth in shutouts in the Southern Conference behind two sophomores (Chattanooga’s Anna Shield and Wofford’s Maria Mon) and Mercer junior Jordyn Ebert. Mezzina is seventh in goals-against average and 10th in saves in the conference.
Her impressive performances have helped her earn Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17, the first Catamount freshman goalkeeper to do so since Caitlin Williams in 2007.
Much of Mezzina’s success can be attributed to several factors: her insatiable work ethic, her trust in her backline and the confidence that Head Coach Chad Miller and Associate Head Coach Todd Herman have instilled in her.
“She’s been really impressive to us, her mentality and the way she approaches training,” said Miller. “She’s the kind of player that does a lot on her own; the type you actually have to think about holding her back at times.”
“She came in prepared and has a professional attitude about it [training],” said Herman. “She’s goal-oriented and is constantly looking to improve herself. She thinks about it a lot, it’s a priority in her life.”
Mezzina currently sits tied for eighth in the Catamount Soccer record books for most shutouts in a season (4) and follows just Williams for most shutouts by a freshman (6). Mezzina is also tied for 12th for most wins (6) and again, just trails Williams for most wins by a freshman (6).
“Honestly, the statistics and honors speak more to the backline and team defense,” said Mezzina. “If I have good stats, that just means my defense has been solid.”
The Brampton, Ontario native found Western Carolina University after attending a showcase in the U.S. during her senior year of high school.
“Soccer’s been unreal, I love being able to just go go go every day, classes are great and campus life is amazing,” said Mezzina. “What’s really different here is the team environment and actually having a group of girls here who are like a family compared to just a part-time team back in Canada.”
When asked about what’s next for the standout freshman, her answer was simple.
“My goal is always the same, I just want to learn from the last game and be better than the last time I played,” said Mezzina.
The Catamounts are back in action this weekend as they look to round out their regular season play with road games at UNC Greensboro and VMI.
Image Credit: Jacob Kupferman, Kupferman Photography / Charlotte Checkers
The Checkers continued right where they left off with a resounding 7-3 win over the Hershey Bears.
Charlotte’s offense came out firing with five different skaters tallying goals, including Tomas Jurco and Martin Necas who each contributed two. Jurco had himself a five-point night, adding three assists to his aforementioned two goals.
The first period brought the physical response the Checkers were expecting, as a total of eight penalties were called in the first 20 minutes alone. Zach Nastasiuk opened Charlotte’s account after finishing a rebound off a Jurco effort. Hershey managed to tie it up in the closing minutes to make it 1-1 going into the first intermission.
Necas opened the middle frame with his first goal of the playoffs after an all too familiar snipe from the dot to make it 2-1. Just four minutes later, Morgan Geekie walked through, dangled and put home his fifth goal of the playoffs. Once again, Hershey scored right before intermission to claw back to 3-2.
The Checkers’ forwards commanded the final 20 minutes. Just four minutes into the third period, Jurco tallied his first goal of the night. Three minutes later, Julien Gauthier sniped his third goal of the playoffs off a feed from the recently returned Trevor Carrick. Jurco and Necas added their second goals of the night shortly after to bring the final score to 7-3.
The Checkers will take their 2-0 series lead up to Hershey on Tuesday, May 7, for Game 3 at 7 p.m.
Image Credit: Jacob Kupferman, Kupferman Photography / Charlotte Checkers
The Checkers wrapped up their six-game home stand with a resounding 6-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Charlotte’s offense continued to fire with five different skaters tallying goals, which extended the team’s point streak to seven games (6-0-1). Tomas Jurco opened the scoring early, followed by a Jake Bean rip from the blue line and an Aleksi Saarela snipe from the dot to give the Checkers a 3-0 lead at the end of the first 20 minutes.
After a short stretch in the middle frame – where Hartford managed to claw back to within one – a goal-line save by Dennis Robertson swung the momentum back in the Checkers’ favor. Shortly after, Andrew Poturalski threw a shot on net and Morgan Geekie expertly tipped it into the top corner to make it 4-2. To round out the second period, Nicolas Roy muscled his way through the face-off and tucked it five-hole to extend the lead to three. Saarela closed out the scoring in the third period with his second goal of the game to bring the final score to 6-2.
The Checkers go on the road for a three-game series that includes two games against the second-place Bridgeport Sound Tigers before returning to Charlotte for the last stretch of home games of the regular season.
QUOTES
Coach Mike Vellucci on the game: I thought we played pretty good. We had a really good start in that third period and took it to them really good, and then got a loose in the second period and had big turnovers that cost us goals. We settled down at the end of the second.
Vellucci on getting six even-strength goals tonight after zero yesterday: We just played smarter. We were way loose last night and today we were smarter with the puck and got to the right areas and shared it amongst each other rather than trying to do it ourselves. I was really happy with the five-on-five.
Vellucci on settling the team down in the second period: I didn’t have to say much. The captains and the leaders took over and said the right things on the bench. As a coach, when they do that and you don’t have to say anything, that makes it a lot easier knowing that the team is in good hands with our leadership
Vellucci on playing two of the next three at second-place Bridgeport: We’ve just got to continue to play well. We’ve got to treat everything like it’s a playoff game because you’ve got to be as used to playing these games as possible. They’re hunting for us, they’re hard games, they’re always physical games and we’ve got to be ready for them.
Vellucci on Clark Bishop leaving the game on the opening faceoff: Bish got hit in the eye so he’s going to be out for a while. Nothing that they’re telling us is too serious, but we’ve just got to make sure that he’s alright.
Jake Bean on having three consecutive two-point games: It’s nice for it to go in every now and then. It’s just not getting too high or too low. I’ve got to try to continue to get shots on net, make opportunities for everyone else and make guys the around me better.
Patrick Brown on the game: I thought we played a great team game aside from about seven minutes in the second period. We had three or four lines going even though we were short a couple (players), but everyone was buzzing and [Tokarski] held us in there when we were struggling.
Brown on what’s working for the team offensively: Mike (Vellucci) has been great and has really honed in on what we were struggling with. Now we’re just crashing the net and trying to get pucks to the net instead of trying to make the nice play. We’re getting pucks to the net and it’s working so we’ll just stick with that.
Image Credit: Jacob Kupferman, Kupferman Photography / Charlotte Checkers
Alex Nedeljkovic has continued to prove himself as an elite goaltender and his reliable and versatile play has helped the Charlotte Checkers top the AHL standings.
Nedeljkovic has enjoyed plenty of personal success this season -– he leads the league in wins (27) and sits in third for minutes played (2,261) with a goals-against average of 2.41; he earned CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month honors in January; he got his first NHL start and subsequent win; and he recently surpassed John Muse to become the winningest goaltender in Checkers’ franchise history –- and much of that success can be attributed to several factors: his insatiable work ethic, his precision when playing the puck and the confidence that Checkers head coach Mike Vellucci has instilled in him.
“What I like most about him is his dedication to be a better goaltender,” said Vellucci. “He works hard off ice, his training has been exceptional and he works extremely hard. He’s gotten himself in excellent shape and keeps pushing himself to get better.”
Nedeljkovic grew up watching Martin Brodeur and Marty Turco and realized that playing the puck can be an asset when it comes to releasing defensive pressure.
“My dad would always tell me, ‘Watch those guys. They’re not just throwing the puck anywhere, they’re making plays, passing pucks and putting it on guys’ tape,’” said Nedeljkovic. “It helps a lot. I think why we’re so good in our defensive zone is that if teams dump it in on me, the D have confidence that I’m going to make a play with it. They don’t get hit as much and we’re not spending as much time in our own end.”
The confidence Nedeljkovic has built over the years to be comfortable with making defensive plays comes from the long-standing relationship of trust he has built with Vellucci. Vellucci was the general manager and head coach of the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League -– where Nedeljkovic played his junior hockey -– and then assistant general manager for Carolina, where he had a significant hand in drafting the netminder in 2014.
“First, when he started at Plymouth, he was a young 16-year-old kid,” said Vellucci. “He was exceptional in Junior B so we brought him up at Christmas and he went 18-2 for us and became our starter and playoff guy.”
Being able to work together for so long has provided a unique situation where Nedeljkovic can continue to play well and gain confidence while simultaneously earning the trust of Vellucci.
“The bigger the game, the better he plays,” said Vellucci. “I have the utmost confidence in him. I let him know when I’m mad at him and he knows when I’m mad but he also knows that I have his back no matter what, that he is a goalie I believe in and I know he’ll make it to the NHL.”
“That’s what you want as a goalie out of a head coach, you want to have that confidence,” said Nedeljkovic. “You want to know that even if you let in a bad one or have an off night that it’s alright and move on because he’s doing the same thing. He gave me a chance to grow in juniors, gave me a chance to play my first year and gave me a lot of good chances to succeed. This year, he’s got the confidence in me to play every night or whatever it has to be.”
Exciting storylines seem to follow the Charlotte goaltender and many within the organization -– as well as outside of it –- are eager to see what will come next. For Nedeljkovic, the natural next step is to make the jump to the NHL and stick there.
“I think Ned’s an NHL goaltender,” said Vellucci. “He does so many good things from moving the puck to his hockey IQ to being a good teammate to being a good leader. He’s working extremely hard to get there and I don’t think anything is going to stop him.
“He’s going to get there one day and when he does get there, I think he’s going to stay.”
Image Credit: Jacob Kupferman, Kupferman Photography / Charlotte Checkers
The Checkers started their three-in-three road trip on a high note with a convincing 4-1 win over the Thunderbirds.
The first period proved to be a high-energy frame with several strong offensive chances for the Checkers, including one by defenseman Haydn Fleury as he broke up a zone entry attempt by Springfield’s power-play unit and sprung himself on a shorthanded breakaway that was deftly handled by Thunderbird goaltender Samuel Montembeault. Shortly after, a beautiful passing sequence between the top line of Aleksi Saarela, Martin Necas and Andrew Poturalski hit off the post and appeared to cross the goal line, but after a video review it was determined to be a no-goal.
With just over 10 minutes remaining in the first period the Checkers broke through with a power-play goal by Nick Schilkey to take a 1-0 lead and give the forward his tenth tally of the season. Charlotte goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic continued to stand tall, saving all seven shots he faced to maintain the clean sheet going into the second period.
The Checkers continued their offensive momentum with back-to-back goals in the middle frame. Zach Nastasiuk fired a bullet into the top corner on a late-developing 2-on-1 chance for his third goal of the season, and then just 41 seconds later Julien Gauthier used his big, net-front presence to bury a rebound following a no-look pass from Schilkey in the slot.
The third period provided a fitting end to a competitive division rivalry with a heavyweight fight between Dan Renouf and Thunderbirds’ forward Bobby Farnham. With less than three minutes remaining in the game Dryden Hunt tapped in Springfield’s only goal after a save by Nedeljkovic and a fortunate bounce off the post. To provide the proverbial dagger, though, Steven Lorentz buried an empty-netter to lift the Checkers to a 4-1 win.
The Checkers will be back in action tomorrow in Providence to take on the third-place Bruins.
Kate's Corner 