CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A record-setting and memorable 2024 season came to a close for William & Mary women’s tennis in the NCAA Regional against No. 29 Wisconsin on Friday afternoon at the Chewning Tennis Center.
The Tribe (18-6) saw its school-record tying 14-match win streak come to an end at the hands of the Badgers.
In doubles, the Badgers (19-6) opened up a lead with a win at No. 2. The Tribe duo of freshman Francesca Davis and graduate student Mila Mejic were on the brink of a win on line three, leading 6-5 over Rosie Garcia Gross and Taylor Cataldi, but Wisconsin earned the initial point of the match thanks to its nationally-ranked duo at No. 1.
Graduate student Yu Chen and junior Emma Fernald jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the No. 40-ranked pair of Maria Sholokhova and Alina Mukhortova at the top doubles spot. The Badger pair battled back to give the Big Ten squad the 1-0 lead behind a 6-4 victory.
In singles, Sholokhova (No. 1), who is ranked No. 82 nationally, Mukhortova (No. 3) and Xinyu Cai (No. 4) secured Wisconsin’s passage to the next round with victories at three of the top four positions.
At No. 2, Chen was even in the second set with Cataldi at three when the match was abandoned. The Badger player won the opening set at the post.
Junior Ine Stange was locked in a close match at No. 5 with Ariel Johnson when the contest was abandoned. The counterparts battled back-and-forth into a tiebreaker where Johnson led by a slim, 5-4, advantage.
Davis dropped a narrow opening set to Rosie Garcia Gross, 6-4, and was locked in another tight one in the second when the match ended.
W&M closed out the season at 18-6 and captured the program’s 29th CAA Championship. The Tribe won its third CAA title in three years under head coach Jessica Giuggioli. Friday was the Tribe’s first loss to over two months.
#29 Wisconsin 4, William & Mary 0
Singles
No. 1 – #82 Maria Sholokhova (UW) def. Hedda Gurholt (W&M) – 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 – Taylor Cataldi (UW) vs. Yu Chen (W&M) – DNF, 6-2, 3-3
No. 3 – Alina Mukhortova (UW) def. Mila Mejic (W&M) – 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 – Xinyu Cai (UW) def. Alessandra Anghel (W&M) – 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 – Ariel Johnson (UW) vs. Ine Stange (W&M) – DNF, 6-6 (5-4)
No. 6 – Rosie Garcia Gross (UW) vs. Francesca Davis (W&M) – DNF, 6-4, 3-2
Finishing Order: 1, 3, 4*
Doubles
No. 1 – #40 Sholokhova/Mukhortova (UW) def. Fernald/Chen (W&M) – 6-4
No. 2 – Reynoldson/Cai (UW) def. Anghel/Stange (W&M) – 6-2
No. 3 – Davis/Mejic (W&M) vs. Garcia Gross/Cataldi (UW) – DNF, 6-5
Finishing Order: 2, 1*
