CHARLOTTE — New faces needed an official introduction at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex.
The 49er Invitational over the weekend provided it after the rain from Hurricane Helene pushed Friday's schedule back and created a marathon slate of matches over the two-and-a-half-day slate for Charlotte, James Madison, East Tennessee St. and a hybrid team of VCU, Davidson and Kentucky.
It was a learning experience for the 49ers after a successful audition on the road at the Kitty Harrison Invitational in Chapel Hill. The lessons were just provided on familiar grounds this time.
"It was just such a cool experience, the energy we brought playing at home was so good," newcoming sophomore transfer Paula Dougherty said.