WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William & Mary women's tennis team flexed its singles muscle, sweeping all six spots on the way to a 6-1 win over in-state foe Liberty on Sunday afternoon. The Tribe (8-4) claimed five of the six posts in straight sets, while junior Marie Faure clinched the victory over Liberty (3-6) with a win at No. 2.
 
After the Flames claimed a highly-contested doubles point, senior Julia Casselbury dropped just two games at No. 4 to pull W&M even at one. She bounced Rebekah Anderson, 6-0, 6-2, to improve to 11-6 overall and 7-4 in dual-match play.
 
Freshman Lauren Goodman and sophomore Olivia Thaler posted a pair of convincing wins at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, to put the Green and Gold in front. Goodman won her third straight taking down Aleksandra Panchenko, 6-1, 6-2, while Thaler tallied her fourth win in the last five matches, topping Mariely Hassey, 6-2, 6-1. Goodman pushed her season mark to 10-5, and Thaler won her eighth match of the year.
 
Faure and sophomore Maria Groener notched matching 6-3, 6-4 wins at No. 2 and No. 6 singles, respectively. Faure improved to 8-4 on the year, defeating Evangeline Crist, and Groener downed Lauren Mabe for her ninth singles triumph.
 
Senior Elizaveta Nemchinov, who is ranked No. 89 nationally, round out the Tribe singles sweep, winning a three-setter at No. 1. Liberty's Maria Khval took the opening set, 6-4, from the Tribe senior, before the reigning CAA Player of the Year rallied for her team-leading 13th singles win of the year. Nemchinov took the final two sets, 6-2, 6-4, improving to 7-3 at the top single spot. 
 
In doubles, Goodman and Groener improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 at No. 2 with a 6-4 win over Ann Dollar and Khval. The Flames took the doubles point with close wins at the other two spots, including a 7-6 (6) tiebreaker win at No. 3.
 
W&M returns to action when it travels to Madison, Wis., to face a pair of matches against Big Ten foes next weekend. The Green and Gold faces No. 59 Illinois on Saturday, March 5, at 2 p.m., before squaring off with the host Wisconsin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 6.
 
William & Mary 6, Liberty 1
Singles
No. 1 – #89 Elizaveta Nemchinov (W&M) def. Maria Khval (Liberty) – 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 – Marie Faure (W&M) def. Evangeline Crist (Liberty) – 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 – Lauren Goodman (W&M) def. Aleksandra Panchenko (Liberty) – 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 – Julia Casselbury (W&M) def. Rebekah Anderson (Liberty) – 6-0, 6-2
No. 5 – Olivia Thaler (W&M) def. Mariely Hassey (Liberty) – 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 – Maria Groener (W&M) def. Lauren Mabe (Liberty) – 6-3, 6-4
Finishing Order: 4, 3, 5, 2*, 6, 1
 
Doubles
No. 1 - Thong/Crist (Liberty) def. Faure/Nemchinov (W&M) – 6-4
No. 2 – Goodman/Groener (W&M) def. Dollar/Khval (Liberty) – 6-4
No. 3 – Anderson/Panchenko (Liberty) def. Casselbury/Wuenscher (W&M) – 7-6 (6)
Finishing Order: 1, 2, 3*