William & Mary's Saric Repeats As CAA Women's Tennis Player Of The Year
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (May 17, 2022) – William & Mary senior
Mila Saric was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association women’s tennis Player of the Year for the second consecutive season as the conference announced the 2022 postseason awards as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Also receiving top women’s tennis honors from the CAA were William & Mary freshman
Hedda Gurholt and Delaware freshman
Alina Vasilenko, who were chosen as the CAA Co-Rookies of the Year. William & Mary’s
Jessica Giuggioli received CAA Coach of the Year accolades.
Saric becomes the first back-to-back CAA Player of the Year since 2016. The senior, who is currently ranked No. 121 nationally, put together a sparkling 15-3 dual match record at No. 1 singles and was 25-5 overall. She recorded three victories over nationally ranked opponents and closed the year on a seven-match winning streak. Saric became the first CAA player since 2016 to receive a berth to the NCAA Singles Championship, which gets underway on May 23. She also performed well in doubles, registering 11 dual-match victories.
Gurholt is the fifth W&M player in the past decade to be selected as the CAA Rookie of the Year. The freshman posted a 14-7 dual-match mark in singles, with all but one of the contests coming at the No. 2 slot, and recorded 23 singles wins overall. She captured five of her final seven matches, highlighted by a 2-0 mark in the CAA Tournament. Gurholt was strong in doubles as well, leading the Tribe with 12 dual-match victories. Eight of those came at the No. 1 position.
Vasilenko is the first Delaware player to be chosen as CAA Rookie of the Year since 2017. The freshman compiled a sensational 19-2 dual-match record in singles, including a 15-0 mark to start the season. Her efforts helped the Blue Hens set a program record with 19 victories in 2022. Vasilenko was equally as dominant in doubles, putting together a near-perfect 18-1 record with partner Dominika Sujova that included nine wins at No. 1.
Giuggioli was honored as the CAA Coach of the Year after guiding William & Mary to a conference title in her first season at the helm of the Tribe program. William & Mary closed the regular season on a four-match winning streak before reeling off three more victories to claim the CAA title for the first time since 2018 and earning a NCAA Tournament berth. W&M finished with a 13-9 overall record while playing a lineup that included three freshmen.
Joining Saric and Vasilenko on the All-CAA first team in singles were UNCW graduate student
Sasha Belaya, Charleston junior
Slade Coetzee, Elon junior
Sibel Tanik and Charleston junior
Halli Trinkle.
Three doubles teams received first-team All-CAA honors as well. Chosen to the squad were UNCW’s Belaya and graduate student
Lauren Gish, Charleston’s Coetzee and Trinkle, and Delaware’s Vasilenko and graduate student
Dominika Sujova.
2022 ALL-CAA WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAMS
First Team
Singles
Sasha Belaya, UNCW Gr. Melbourne, Fla.
Slade Coetzee, Charleston Jr. Miami Beach, Fla.
Mila Saric, William & Mary Sr. Los Cristianos-Arona, Tenerife, Spain
Sibel Tanik, Elon Jr. Raleigh, N.C.
Halli Trinkle, Charleston Jr. Charlestown, Ind.
Alina Vasilenko, Delaware Fr. Moscow, Russia
Doubles
Sasha Belaya, UNCW Gr. Melbourne, Fla.
Lauren Gish, UNCW Gr. Mooresville, N.C.
Slade Coetzee, Charleston Jr. Miami Beach, Fla.
Halli Trinkle, Charleston Jr. Charlestown, Ind.
Dominika Sujova, Delaware Gr. Topolcany, Slovakia
Alina Vasilenko, Delaware Fr. Moscow, Russia
Second Team
Singles
Eliza Askarova, Delaware Jr. Philadelphia, Pa.
Hedda Gurholt, William & Mary Fr. Oslo, Norway
Maja Jekauc, Charleston Fr. Karlsruhe, Germany
Lorie Lemongo, Drexel Fr. Yaounde, Cameroon
Kylie Moulin, James Madison Jr. Lithia, Fla.
Lizette Reding, Elon So. Leon, Guanajuato
Doubles
Mya Fuentes, Drexel Sr. Gijon, Spain
Lorie Lemongo, Drexel Fr. Yaounde, Cameroon
Hedda Gurholt, William & Mary Fr. Oslo, Norway
Mila Saric, William & Mary Sr. Los Cristianos-Arona, Tenerife, Spain
Lizette Reding, Elon So. Leon, Guanajuato
Sibel Tanik, Elon Jr. Raleigh, N.C.
Third Team
Singles
Daria Afanasyeva, James Madison Jr. Moscow, Russia
Raffaela Alhach, William & Mary Jr. Mexico City, Mexico
Olivia Archer, Elon Sr. Cornelius, N.C.
Isabel Cabrerizo, Drexel So. Logrono, Spain
Amelia Lawson, Towson Sr. Wellington, New Zealand
Dominika Sujova, Delaware Gr. Topolcany, Slovakia
Doubles
Raffaela Alhach, William & Mary Jr. Mexico City, Mexico
Elisa Van Meeteren, William & Mary Jr. London, England
Kate Earnhardt, Charleston Sr. Concord, N.C.
Clara Errard, Charleston Sr. Toulouse, France
Michelle Los Arcos, James Madison Sr. Caracas, Venezuela
Daniela Voloh, James Madison Jr. Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
2022 CAA WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Mila Saric, William & Mary
2022 CAA WOMEN’S TENNIS CO-ROOKIES OF THE YEAR: Hedda Gurholt, William & Mary
Alina Vasilenko, Delaware
2022 CAA WOMEN’S TENNIS COACH OF THE YEAR: Jessica Giuggioli, William & Mary