Evans earns SoCon

honor in tournament
From staff reports

ELON — Former Watauga state champion Anna Lee Evans was named the Most Outstanding Performer in the Southern Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament over the weekend as she helped College of Charleston beat top-seeded Furman 4-1 Sunday.

Evans did not lose a singles match during the tournament. Playing No. 4 singles, Evans won her match against Furman Sunday 6-4, 6-1 in leading the Cougars to their first SoCon championship since 2003.

College of Charleston won the doubles point, but Evans and Laura Borza fell to Furman’s Laura Gioia, the league’s Player of the Year, and Monica Arguello 8-1 in No. 1 doubles.

Charleston responded with an 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles from Holly Dowse and Caroline Newman.

The doubles point came down to the second court where both teams took the lead at various points throughout the set. With College of Charleston’s Kinsey Casey and Keely Mulligan ahead, 8-7, Furman’s Lauren Tomory and Jennifer Betts were able to tie the set and force a tiebreaker. After both teams held the lead in the extra session, Casey and Mulligan claimed an 8-6 tiebreaker to take the match, 9-8 and give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.

Gioia, recorded the Paladins’ only point of the match as she cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Charleston's Borza at No. 1 singles. College of Charleston would capture each of the next three singles matches to claim the win.