CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston women's tennis team (6-2) closes out the month of February with two matches on the road. They will visit USC Upstate (0-6) on Friday before heading up to Boone, N.C. to play Appalachian State (5-4).
 
Both matches are slated to begin at 2 p.m.
 
The Cougars had been on a five-match winning streak, but that came to an end Tuesday with a razor-thin 4-3 decision to St. John's on Tuesday. CofC led that match 3-1, but the Red Storm rallied back to tie things at 3-3, and then were able to narrowly best Rachel McNeely 7-5 in the third set of her flight three encounter, which sealed the match for St. John's. Anastasia Palaska has been a dominant 7-1 in doubles matches this year, while Spanish freshman Catalina Medici boasts the best singles record for the Cougars at 6-1.
 
The Cougars are unbeaten against USC Upstate, holding a 2-0 advantage in a series that only spans back to 2016. It will be CofC's first trip to the USC Upstate Tennis Complex. CofC has been utterly dominant over Appalachian State since joining NCAA Division I in 1992, holding a 20-1 record against the Mountaineers. App State's only win against CofC came by way of a 5-4 decision back in 2000.
 
The Spartans opened the season with three close losses at the hands of Wofford, UNC Asheville and Presbyterian, but have since struggled mightily with three consecutive 7-0 losses. They are led by Carol Sigaki and Vale Zarama, who each have two wins in flight two and three respectively this season.
 
Appalachian State has gotten off to a promising start to the season, with three of their four losses this season coming to ACC foes. Appalachian State defeated Charlotte at the beginning of February, an opponent against whom CofC defeated 4-3. The Mountaineers are coached by former CofC men's tennis player Blake Mosley (1991-95), who is in his second year with the program.