William and Mary breezed past its Colonial Athletic Association rival James Madison in a 4-3 victory Sunday, April 7. The competition marked the College’s 34th straight win over the Dukes, and its 13th consecutive victory against a CAA opponent.
Veteran performers earned the doubles point to start the day for the Tribe. At the No. 3 spot, junior Charlotte Madson and senior Lauren Goodman cruised to a 6-3 victory over Amanda Nord and Michelle Los Acros Balasch. The first hiccup for the Tribe came a short while later at the No. 2 doubles spot, with freshman Mila Saric and junior Natalia Perry taking a decisive 6-2 defeat. The Tribe’s more experienced players pulled out a win when senior Clara Tanielian and sophomore Vitoria Okuyama won a tight 6-4 victory at No. 1 to give the Tribe the doubles point.
Saric found her stride at the No. 4 singles spot, easily besting Duke Jona Roka 6-1, 6-2 to begin individual competition for the day. Goodman continued to dominate, winning her match at the No. 5 position by a margin identical to Saric’s. Both Goodman and Saric remain undefeated in CAA singles matches, boasting a 3-0 record so far this season. Perry also came back with a vengeance at the No. 2 slot, defeating JMU’s Abby Amos 6-1, 6-3.
When Madson took the court in the No. 6 position, the Tribe led the Dukes 4-0, but missteps on the College’s part allowed the Dukes to creep onto the scoreboard. Madson’s narrow, three game loss to Nord put the Dukes on the board, and they rode that momentum to two more singles victories. Tanielian and junior Rosie Cheng also lost by razor-thin margins, bringing the score to 4-3, but the College’s early domination was enough to carry it to the finish line with a win.
The Tribe’s win was unsurprising, considering it brings the College’s all-time record against the Dukes to 46-1. It is encouraging that the Tribe’s veterans came out so strongly, both in singles and doubles matches, but the momentum shift at the day’s end casts some doubt on the College’s ability to close out difficult wins.
The Tribe will head to Liberty April 8, attempting to finish its in-state road trip with another victory.
