The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's tennis team closes out the 2017 regular season at home against Samford on Friday, April 14. The Mocs host the Bulldogs at 3:00 p.m. (E.D.T.) at the Baylor School courts in Chattanooga.
Friday is Senior Day for the Mocs lone senior, Rachele Gazzola. Gazzola is a four-year letter winner from Palma de Mallorca, Spain. She is a SoCon Honor Roll honoree who is 11-7 in singles play this season.
Gazzola and junior Samantha Caswell have paired up at No.
1 doubles this season. They are 12-4 overall and 4-1 in SoCon action.
"The end of the regular season is here and it flew by so fast," stated UTC head coach Chad Camper. "I am very proud of Rachele. She has been injured many times in her career, and her senior year she has really elevated her game. Rachele is a leader on the court and she will be sorely missed."
The Mocs are 14-6 overall and 4-2 in league action. UTC needs a win on Friday to wrap up the third seed at the SoCon Tournament. Samford enters the match with an 11-9 record, including a 3-3 mark in conference play.
"Samford is a tough program," added Camper. "They have really come on strong at the end of the season and we need to take every point serious. Though it's easy to get caught up in seeds for the conference tournament, we are just focused on winning the match Friday."
The Mocs are 17-15 in the all-time series against Samford, however the Bulldogs have won three of the last four. UTC took a 5-2 victory in last year's regular season finale in Birmingham, Ala.