William & Mary Defeats Elon, 4-1, To Capture CAA Women's Tennis Championship
Rob Washburn
Tournament Bracket Championship Central
ELON, N.C. (May 1, 2022) – Freshman Emma Fernald rallied for a three-set victory to earn the clinching point as second-seeded William & Mary defeated No. 4 Elon, 4-1, to capture the 2022 CAA Women’s Tennis Championship on Sunday afternoon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on the campus of Elon University.
It was the 27
th CAA title for the Tribe in the 37-year history of the league, but first since 2018. William & Mary (13-8) earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship. Elon, which advanced to the CAA Tournament finals for the first time, fell to 17-9.
The Tribe grabbed an early advantage by claiming the doubles point. W&M’s No. 2 team of Mila Saric and Fernald blanked Victoria Saldh and Julie Ball, 6-0. At No. 3, the Tribe’s Hedda Gurholt and Ine Stange captured the final five games and posted a 6-2 victory over Ali O’Dea and Olivia Archer.
W&M maintained the momentum in singles. The Tribe’s Raffaela Alhach topped Saldh, 6-0, 6-3 at No. 3, and Stange got past Shauna Galvin, 6-3, 7-5 at No. 6 to put W&M ahead 3-0 in the match. Elon got on the board at No. 4, as Archer defeated Elisa Van Meetern, 7-5, 6-0. The match was decided at No. 5, as Fernald came back from a set down to beat Ali O’Dea, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
2022 CAA WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP - FINALS
Jimmy Powell Tennis Center – Elon University – Elon, N.C.
#2 William & Mary 4, #4 Elon 1
Singles
#1 Mila Saric (W&M) vs. Sibel Tanik (EU) – DNF, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 0-0
#2 Hedda Gurholt (W&M) vs. Lizette Reding (EU) – DNF, 2-6, 6-3, 0-3
#3 Raffaela Alhach (W&M) d. Victoria Saldh (EU), 6-0, 6-3
#4 Olivia Archer (EU) d. Elisa Van Meeteren (W&M), 7-5, 6-0
#5 Emma Fernald (W&M) d. Ali O’Dea (EU), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
#6 Ine Stange (W&M) d. Shauna Galvin (EU), 6-3, 7-5
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 4, 5*
Doubles
#1 Van Meeteren/Alhach (W&M) vs. Reding/Tanik (EU) – DNF, 1-5
#2 Saric/Fernald (W&M) d. Saldh/Julie Ball (EU), 6-0
#3 Gurholt/Stange (W&M) d. O’Dea/Archer (EU), 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3*