William & Mary Defeats UNCW, 4-0, To Capture 28th CAA Women's Tennis Championship
Rob Washburn
Championship Central
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (April 23, 2023) – Top-seeded William & Mary turned in an impressive performance throughout its lineup, defeating No. 6 UNCW, 4-0, to capture the 2023 CAA Women’s Tennis Championship before an energetic crowd at the Mackesy Tennis Center at the Millie West Courts on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
It was the 28
th conference title in the 38-year history of the tournament for the Tribe (15-5), who earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship for the second year in a row. UNCW, which became just the second No. 6 seed to reach the finals after an inspired three-win run through the tournament, finished with a 13-9 mark.
William & Mary gained the early edge after capturing a very competitive doubles point. The Tribe’s No. 3 duo of Hedda Gurholt and Emma Pell topped Stela Joksimovic and Meredith Taylor, 6-2, but UNCW responded with a victory at No. 1 as Lauren Gish and Eda Arli overcame an early 3-0 deficit to beat Sofiya Kuzina and Ine Stange, 6-4. The point was decided at No. 2, where W&M’s Elisa Van Meeteren and Emma Fernald got a critical service break at 4-4 and got past Zoe Huffman and Anna Daniels, 6-4.
The Tribe continued the momentum into singles, taking the opening set in five of the six matches. Kuzina, who provided the clinching point in the semifinal triumph over Elon, picked up the first win by beating Daniels, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3. Gurholt best Huffman, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 1, and moments later, Stange sealed the victory by downing Joksimovic, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 5.
#1 William & Mary 4, #6 UNCW 0
Singles
#1 Hedda Gurholt (W&M) d. Zoe Huffman (UNCW), 6-3, 6-1
#2 Elisa Van Meeteren (W&M) vs. Eda Arli (UNCW) – DNF, 5-7, 0-1
#3 Sofiya Kuzina (W&M) d. Anna Daniels (UNCW), 6-2, 6-1
#4 Emma Fernald (W&M) vs. Lauren Gish (UNCW) – DNF, 6-0, 5-2
#5 Ine Stange (W&M) d. Stela Joksimovic (UNCW), 6-2, 6-1
#6 Emma Pell (W&M) vs. Gabbie Glickstein (UNCW) – DNF, 6-1, 4-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 5*
Doubles
#1 Gish/Arli (UNCW) d. Kuzina/Stange (W&M), 6-4
#2 Van Meeteren/Fernald (W&M) d. Huffman/Daniels (UNCW), 6-4
#3 Gurholt/Pell (W&M) d. Joksimovic/Meredith Taylor (UNCW), 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*