ELON, N.C. — William & Mary won its 12th in a row and advanced to the CAA Semifinals behind a 4-1 win over Campbell on Friday afternoon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
The Tribe (16-5) notched four singles wins to overcome losing the doubles point and earn a spot in Saturday’s semifinals. Graduate student Yu Chen, juniors Hedda Gurholt and Ine Stange, and freshman Francesca Davis posted singles wins in the triumph over the Camels (12-9).
The 12-match win streak equals the program’s second longest. It ties both the 1971-72 and 1998 teams which also won 12 in a row. The school record is 14 straight in 2003.
Campbell opened the match by taking the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3. The Tribe quickly answered behind the play of rookie Francesca Davis. The Green and Gold freshman dropped just four total games in rolling to her fourth-straight win, topping Lena Karlovcan, 6-3, 6-1, to pull the Tribe even at one. She continued her strong spring play, improving to 15-3 in dual-match action, including a remarkable 11-1 at No. 6.
Chen put the Tribe on top for good with a straight-sets win on line two. She defeated Lily Chitambar, 6-4, 6-2, for her 20th win of the year and gave W&M a 2-1 lead. It was Chen’s third-straight win as she upped her dual-match mark to 12-2 at No. 2.
Stange brought the Green and Gold to the brink of advancing with a three-set win at No. 5. She won 6-2 sets in the first and third to down Mariana Ossa for her four-straight win. Stange pushed her ledger to 19-7 overall, including an impressive 15-4 in dual-match action.
Gurholt clinched the Tribe victory with a three-set win at the top spot. She won the opening set, 6-4, over Mialy Ranaivo, and answered a second-set setback with a strong 6-2 win in the third. The victory was Gurholt’s team-leading 26th of the season and the 70th of her Tribe career. She is 24-3 all-time against CAA opponents.
The Tribe advanced to the CAA Semifinals for the 11th-straight tournament and will take on either No. 3 seed Charleston or No. 6 UNCW on Saturday, April 27, at 2 p.m. Elon is the host of the 2024 CAA Women’s Tennis Championship at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
William & Mary 4, Campbell 1
Singles
No. 1 – Hedda Gurholt (W&M) def. Mialy Ranaivo (Campbell) – 6-4, 0-6, 6-2
No. 2 – Yu Chen (W&M) def. Lily Chitambar (Campbell) – 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 – Mila Mejic (W&M) vs. Tamsin Hart (Campbell) – DNF, 6-4, 4-6, 3-1
No. 4 – Alessandra Anghel (W&M) vs. Eeva Ristola (Campbell) – DNF, 4-6, 6-5
No. 5 – Ine Stange (W&M) def. Mariana Ossa (Campbell) – 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
No. 6 – Francesca Davis (W&M) def. Lena Karlovcan (Campbell) – 6-3, 6-1
Finishing Order: 6, 2, 5, 1*
Doubles
No. 1 – Chen/Fernald (W&M) vs. Ristola/Karlovcan (Campbell) – DNF, 5-3
No. 2 – Chitambar/Ossa (Campbell) def. Gurholt/Stange (W&M) – 6-2
No. 3 – Ranaivo/Hart (Campbell) def. Davis/Mejic (W&M) – 6-2
Finishing Order: 3, 2*
