CAA Tennis Champions Crowned This Weekend
Rob Washburn
WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL |
MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
RICHMOND, Va. (April 19, 2017) – For the second year in a row, the CAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships will be held at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on the campus of Elon University in Elon, N.C. and the Burlington Tennis Center in Burlington, N.C. The event, which runs from April 20-23, is open to the public and there is no admission charge.
Nine women’s and eight men’s teams will compete for conference titles and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The women’s championship opens with a first-round match on Thursday, April 20. Quarterfinal action for both the men and women starts at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 21, followed by the semifinals on Saturday and the two championship matches on Sunday, April 23.
Two-time defending champion William & Mary (11-10), which is ranked #48 nationally by the ITA, is the tournament’s top seed in the women’s draw. The Tribe has captured 24 of the past 32 CAA championships, including last year when they topped James Madison, 4-1. W&M is led by junior Ekaterina Stepanova and senior Marie Faure.
Elon (17-7), which received the #2 seed for the championship, has a sparkling 13-1 record at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center this season. The Phoenix feature juniors Erica Braschi and Olivia Lucas at the top of their lineup, with both recording 14 wins in dual matches.
College of Charleston (18-8) was awarded the #3 seed. The Cougars reached the tournament championship match in 2014 and 2015 and lost a narrow 4-3 decision to W&M in last year’s semifinals. Back to pace the Cougars at the top of the lineup are seniors Liza Fieldsend and Mara Argyriou.
James Madison (16-7), which has won seven of its last nine matches, will be the #4 seed. The Dukes reached the championship match last season for the first time since 1991. JMU has a pair of returnees leading their lineup with senior Timea Guibe and sophomore Emma Petersen.
Delaware (12-6), which earned the #5 seed in the women’s championship, has gotten strong performances from freshman Brooke Pilkington (13-3) and sophomore Sara Komer (17-1). Sixth-seeded UNCW (9-7) features junior Madara Straume (13-3) at the top of its lineup. Junior Nicole Shakhnazarova (12-8) is the top performer for 7
th-seeded Towson (13-10). Eighth-seeded Drexel (15-8) will count on senior Honami Yazawa (15-7) at #1 singles, while ninth-seeded Hofstra (10-15) has freshman Jasmine King at the #1 singles slot.
Three different teams have captured the CAA Men’s Tennis Championship over the past three years and this year’s tournament is expected to be competitive once again.
UNCW (11-8) is the top seed on the men’s side for the fifth consecutive year. The Seahawks have won four of the last eight CAA championships, but fell in the finals in 2016. Junior Andres Torres and sophomore Agustin Savarino are the top performers on a young squad.
Elon (11-11) received the #2 seed and comes into the tournament on a three-match winning streak. The Phoenix dropped a narrow 4-3 decision in the semifinals a year ago. Sophomore Felipe Sarrasague, the 2016 CAA Rookie of the Year, owns a 14-6 record at No. 1 singles.
Third-seeded William & Mary (9-11) claimed the CAA title in 2015 and has reached the finals four times in the past decade. The Tribe features an experienced lineup led by senior Aidan Talcott (10-7) and junior Christian Cargill (12-7).
Defending champion College of Charleston (13-7) edged UNCW, 4-3, in last year’s title match and has reached the finals for three straight years. Junior Juan Estevarena, the Most Outstanding Performer of the 2016 championship, has compiled a 14-4 mark at No. 1 singles, while Benedikt Henning is 14-3 at No. 2.
Fifth-seeded James Madison (14-8) has a pair of talented freshmen – Damon Roberts and Paul Mendoza – at the top of its lineup. Drexel (13-7) earned the #6 seed and is led by junior Hamza Laalej, who owns a 10-8 mark at No. 1 singles. Seventh-seeded Hofstra (9-15) features sophomore Marcus Smith (12-8) at the top singles position. Junior Colin Wong has a 10-9 dual match mark for eighth-seeded Delaware (9-17).
For more information, visit the
Men's Tennis Championship or
Women's Tennis Championship pages. Fans can join the social media conversation by using the official CAA Championships hashtag,
#CAAChamps, on both Instagram and Twitter.
2017 CAA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 20-23 – Jimmy Powell Tennis Center/Burlington Tennis Center
Elon University – Elon, N.C.
Thursday, April 20 – First Round (Jimmy Powell Tennis Center – Elon University)
9 a.m. – Women - #8 Drexel vs. #9 Hofstra
Friday, April 21 – Quarterfinals (Men at Burlington Tennis Center/Women at Jimmy Powell Tennis Center)
8:30 a.m. – Women - #1 William & Mary vs. Drexel/Hofstra winner
Women - #4 James Madison vs. #5 Delaware
8:30 a.m. – Men - #1 UNCW vs. #8 Delaware
Men - #4 College of Charleston vs. #5 James Madison
11:30 a.m. – Women - #2 Elon vs. #7 Towson
Women - #3 College of Charleston vs. #6 UNCW
11:30 a.m. – Men - #2 Elon vs. #7 Hofstra
Men - #3 William & Mary vs. #6 Drexel
Saturday, April 22 – Semifinals (Jimmy Powell Tennis Center – Elon University)
10 a.m. – Women – W&M/Drexel-Hofstra winner vs. JMU/Delaware winner
Women – Elon/Towson winner vs. CofC/UNCW winner
2 p.m. – Men – UNCW/Delaware winner vs. CofC/JMU winner
Men – Elon/Hofstra winner vs. W&M/Drexel winner
Sunday, April 23 – Championships (Jimmy Powell Tennis Center – Elon University)
10 a.m. – Women’s Championship
2 p.m. – Men’s Championship