Women’s tennis: Tribe wins fourth straight CAA championship

Natalia Perry. COURTESY IMAGE / TRIBE ATHLETICS.

Sunday, William and Mary faced off against James Madison in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship. The Tribe (17-9) defeated the Dukes (21-4) in a 4-0 victory, claiming its fourth-straight conference title.

The Tribe won the doubles point, which would begin its four-point run. Sophomore Charlotte Madson and junior Clara Tanielian outplayed Dylan Owens and Jona Roka at the No. 3 spot, 6-2.

At the No. 2 spot, senior Olivia Thaler and sophomore Rosie Cheng secured the team’s early lead with a 6-4 victory over Emma Petersen and Anna Makarova.

Continuing her winning streak from the semifinal match, Tanielian pushed the Tribe to a 2-point lead with her singles victory at the No. 3 spot. She was victorious in two sets over Jona Roka, 6-0, 6-4.

Thaler, at the No. 6 spot, dropped her first set to Kimmy Herrock, but refused to accept defeat. She stood strong in the second and third sets and claimed the third point of the match for the Tribe, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.

As all other contests moved into their third sets, Perry would find herself sealing the victory for the College at the No. 2 spot. After a favorable 7-5 start, she lost the second set 5-2 to Makarova. Perry fought back in the third set and, after being tied at five, the sophomore pulled ahead and claimed the win, 7-5.

With this victory, the College claimed its 26th CAA championship. The Tribe is now set to make its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance on May 1 at 5:30 p.m. It will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

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