WILLIAMSBURG — Day two of the dual-match season ended just as the first, with a William & Mary victory. The Tribe won the doubles point and followed with singles victories at four of the six spots to top Georgetown, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center.
Graduate student Yu Chen clinched the team triumph with a forehand winner at the No. 1 spot. Junior Hedda Gurholt added a straight-sets win at No. 2, while junior Emma Fernald and freshman Francesca Davis posted three-set victories at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
How it Happened
- The Tribe (2-0) took the doubles point for the second match in a row with wins at the top two positions.
- Chen and Fernald won for the second-straight day to give the Tribe the lead in doubles. The pair upended Chloe Bendetti and Katie Garofolo-Ro, 6-2, at the top spot to improve to 3-1 on the year.
- The duo of Gurholt and junior Ine Stange secured the initial point of the match behind a 6-3 win over Olivia Ashton and Tatiana Zelenko on line two. The Tribe pair upped its mark to 2-1.
- After a Georgetown (2-4) win at No. 3 to even the match, Gurholt put the Tribe back in front with a straight-sets win at No. 2. The reigning CAA Player of the Year upended Zelenko, 6-2, 6-4, for her fifth win in a row. Gurholt leads the Green and Gold with an 11-2 singles mark.
- Georgetown once again evened things, this time at 2-all behind a win at No. 4.
- Davis put the Tribe in front for good with a three-set win at No. 6. The Tribe rookie rolled to a 6-0 first set win, before the Hoyas’ Paige Gilbert answered with a 6-1 win in the second. Davis won the third set, breaking Gilbert in the final game to pull out a 6-4 victory. She improved to 2-0 in dual-match play with her sixth win of the season.
- Chen won the clincher at the top post. After winning the opening set, 6-4, the Tribe graduate student pulled out the second in a tiebreaker, hitting a forehand winner on match point. Chen won her third in a row and upped her ledger to 7-4.
- Fernald rounded out the Tribe victory with a come-from-behind three-set win at No. 5. After Georgetown’s Emily Novikov won the opening set, 6-3, Fernald battled back to take the second in a tiebreaker. In the third-set super breaker, Fernald led early before Novikov closed the gap to 9-8, fighting off two match points. The Tribe junior pull it out for her fourth-straight win as she improved to 6-3 on the year.
Up Next
The Tribe continues its season-opening homestand with a pair of matches next weekend. W&M welcomes Maryland to the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on Saturday, Feb. 10, before hosting St. John’s on Sunday, Feb. 11. Both matches are set for 11 a.m. start time.
William & Mary 5, Georgetown 2
Singles
No. 1 – Yu Chen (W&M) def. Chloe Bendetti (GT) – 6-4, 7-6 (4)
No. 2 – Hedda Gurholt (W&M) def. Tatiana Zelenko (GT) – 6-2, 6-4
No. 3 – Katie Garofolo-Ro (GT) def. Mila Mejic (W&M) – 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 – Avantika Willy (GT) def. Ine Stange (W&M) – 7-5, 6-1
No. 5 – Emma Fernald (W&M) def. Emily Novikov (GT) – 3-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (8)
No. 6 – Francesca Davis (W&M) def. Paige Gilbert (GT) – 6-0, 1-6, 6-4
Finishing Order: 3, 2, 4, 6, 1*, 5
Doubles
No. 1 – Chen/Fernald (W&M) def. Bendetti/Garofolo-Ro (GT) – 6-2
No. 2 – Gurholt/Stange (W&M) def. Ashton/Zelenko (GT) – 6-3
No. 3 – Davis/Vaissaud (W&M) vs. Gilbert/Novikov – DNF, 4-4
Finishing Order: 1, 2*
