Women’s Tennis: Tribe falls to Owls, bounces back to beat Princeton

Sophomore Rosie Cheng clinched the victory for the Tribe against Princeton on Saturday. PHOTO COURTESY // TRIBE ATHLETICS.

Friday, William and Mary traveled to Rice to take on the Owls. Things did not bode well for the Tribe and it fell in a crushing 6-1 defeat.

Junior Clara Tanielian posted her sixth-straight singles win, earning the Tribe (10-7) its sole point of the evening against the Owls (9-6).

Tanielian earned her victory at the No. 3 singles spot. She won the opening set 7-6 (5) but dropped the second set 6-4. In the third set, she claimed a 10-4 victory in the super tie-break, clinching the point for the Tribe.

Despite working recently at the doubles position, the College dropped the doubles matches at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. The match at the No. 1 spot was abandoned as Tanielian and freshman Vitoria Okuyama stood stolid in a 6-6 tie after a victory for the Owls was secured.  

The Owls won the remaining five singles matches in a forceful push that quenched any hope for a Tribe victory.

Saturday proved to hold much more success for the Tribe as it claimed a 5-2 comeback win over Princeton. The Tribe now joins Kentucky as the only two teams to upset the Tigers (12-2) this season.

Despite a rough start in doubles play, the College turned on the fire and won the first set in all six spots during singles play. Sophomore Natalia Perry posted her first career nationally ranked win at the No. 2 position. Her victory leveled the score board with a point for each team.

Senior Olivia Thaler at the No. 6 spot and Tanielian at the No. 3 spot pushed the College to a 3-1 lead with straight-set wins, bringing both Thaler and Tanielian to 20 singles wins this year.

Sophomore Rosie Cheng clinched a nationally ranked win with a three-set win in the top position, solidifying a Tribe victory. This marks her fourth nationally ranked win of the year.

Senior Ekaterina Stepanova rallied alongside her teammates and claimed a three-set success at the No. 5 position.

Moving forward, the Tribe will travel to Charlottesville to face off against Virginia Thursday, March 29. Currently, the College stands 1-1 against Atlantic Coast Conference teams, with a victory over Boston College and a loss against North Carolina, which currently sits at No. 1 in the country.

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