UPDATE: Due to inclement weather, the quarterfinals were moved indoor on Friday. The Tribe takes on Hofstra at 11 a.m. in Winston-Salem, N.C.. at the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center. Elon and Drexel follow the Tribe at 1:45 p.m., and JMU/Towson are set for 3:45 p.m. The 4/5 match-up between UNCW and Charleston is schedule for 12:45 pm. at the Starmount Forest Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The No. 36 William & Mary women's tennis team enters the 2016 Colonial Athletic Association Championship in search of its 24th league crown. The Green and Gold is the event's top seed and faces No. 8 seed Hofstra in the quarterfinals at 9 a.m. on Friday morning.
 
Elon University is the host of the 2016 CAA Championship at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. The CAA semifinals are set for Saturday, April 23, with the championship to follow on Sunday, April 24. Both rounds are scheduled for 2 p.m. start times. The winner of the CAA Championship earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Admission is free for everyday of the championship. For more information, log on the Tennis Championship page on CAASports.com. Click HERE to check out league's championship preview and HERE for the live stats links.
 
Scouting the Tribe
The Tribe enters the CAA Championship as the favorite after finishing the regular season at 15-6. The Green and Gold played just one CAA match, dispatching of No. 2 seed Elon, 6-1, on the road in January despite playing without its top player. W&M is the only CAA team to appear in the national rankings this season and currently comes in at No. 36. It marked the third consecutive week that W&M was ranked in the 36th spot and the eighth straight poll appearing in the top 40. Seven of the Tribe's wins this season have come against teams currently in the national rankings. Those nationally-ranked wins include triumphs over No. 11 South Carolina, No. 45 Rice, No. 54 Illinois, No. 58 Harvard, No. 63 DePaul, No. 67 Yale and No. 75 Old Dominion. By comparison, no other CAA team owns a nationally-ranked win this season. Senior Elizaveta Nemchinov, who was named the CAA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, is the only CAA player currently in the ITA National Singles Rankings at No. 108. She is 18-8 on the season with a trio of wins over players in the  latest national rankings. Her best win came when she downed No. 41-ranked Paige Hourigan in straight sets during the Tribe's dual match with No. 15 Georgia Tech. Along with Nemchinov, W&M's lineup boasts the only three players in the CAA with wins over players currently in the national rankings. Junior Marie Faure, a First Team All-CAA pick, downed two ranked foes, including a triumph over top-50 foe Katherine Ip of Rice. Faure boasts a 14-6 record on the season, including a 9-4 ledger at No. 2 singles. Freshman Lauren Goodman, who garnered CAA Rookie of the Year honors, owns a win over No. 71-ranked Caroline Dailey of South Carolina and a triumph over Elon's No. 1 player in Olivia Lucas. She is 16-6 in singles action, including 13-5 dual-match mark. In doubles, Nemchinov and Faure are ranked No. 77 nationally with an 8-5 mark, including six wins at No. 1.
 
W&M Theme to CAA Awards
Once again, the Tribe dominated the league awards, highlighted by senior Elizaveta Nemchinov being named the CAA Player of the Year for the second straight season. She became the sixth player in CAA history and third Tribe player to be a repeat winner of the league's top award. Freshman Lauren Goodman took home the other major player award, becoming the third W&M student-athlete in the last four years and 10th overall to be named the CAA Rookie of the Year. In total, the Tribe led the league with three singles players and two doubles pairs honored on the All-CAA teams. Nemchinov was a First Team All-CAA pick in both singles and doubles for the third consecutive year. She became just the third player in program history, along with Megan Moulton-Levy '08 and Katarina Zoricic '09, to be named First Team All-CAA in singles during all four seasons of her career. Junior Marie Faure joined Nemchinov as the only players in the league to be named First Team All-CAA in both singles and doubles. Despite being one of only three players in the CAA with a current nationally-ranked win and a victory over an Elon All-CAA first team player, Goodman was selected to the league's second team in both singles and doubles. Sophomore Maria Groener paired with Goodman to comprise the Tribe's All-CAA second team pair and was also selected to the CAA All-Academic Team. It marked the second straight season that Groener earned second team all-league distinction in doubles.

Dominating the CAA
W&M has a long history of dominating Colonial Athletic Association competition, and more importantly the CAA Championship. The Tribe has won 23 of the CAA's 31 all-time women's tennis championships. W&M won the CAA crown in two of head coach Tyler Thomson's first three seasons. Since the league adopted its current, head-to-head team format for the CAA Championship in 1995, the Green and Gold is 50-7 (.877) at the event. Overall since the first season of CAA tennis in 1986, the Tribe is 124-17 (.879) against league opponents. In matches with current CAA teams, the Tribe is 68-3 (.958) all-time and 47-2 (.959) with those teams as members of the league.
 
W&M's Record in the CAA Tournament

All-Time Record	50-7 (.877)
Quarterfinals	18-1 (.947)
Semifinals	18-2 (.900)
Championship	14-4 (.778)
CAA Championships: 23 (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015)

* the CAA moved to a head-to-head team championship in 1995

Championship Rewind
Last season, W&M won its 23rd CAA Championship with a trio of 4-0 victories. The Tribe bounced Delaware in the quarterfinals, before downing JMU in the semifinals and Charleston in the championship. In total, W&M players dropped just one set over the three matches of the CAA Tournament. Elizaveta Nemchinov and Jeltje Loomans won all six of their matches between singles and doubles. Nemchinov was named the most outstanding player of the championship, going 3-0 at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles. She dropped just nine total games over her three singles matches.

CAA Championship Schedule
Thursday, April 21 – First Round
Match #1 – #8 Hofstra def. #9 Delaware, 4-1
 
Friday, April 22 – Quarterfinals
Match #2 – 11 a.m. – #1 William & Mary vs., #8 Hofstra – Live Stats - Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center)
Match #3 – 12:45 p.m. – #4 Charleston vs. #5 UNCW – Live Stats - Greensboro, N.C. (Starmount Forest Country Club)
Match #4 – 1:45 p.m. – #2 Elon vs. #7 Drexel – Live Stats - Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center)
Match #5 – 3:45 p.m. – #3 James Madison vs. #6 Towson – Live Stats - Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center)

Saturday, April 23 – Semifinals - Jimmy Powell Tennis Center
Match #6 – 2 p.m. – Winner of Match #2 vs. Winner of Match #3 – Live Stats
Match #7 – 2 p.m. – Winner of Match #4 vs. Winner of Match #5 – Live Stats

Sunday, April 24 – Championship- Jimmy Powell Tennis Center
Match #8 – 2 p.m. – Winner of Match #6 vs. Winner of Match #7 – Live Stats

Looking at the Field …

#2 Elon
Series History: W&M leads 1-0
Last Meeting: W&M won 6-1 (1/29/16)
 
Elon is on an eight-match winning streak and sports a 13-9 overall record. The Phoenix went 5-1 in CAA action, including a 6-1 loss to W&M at home when the Tribe played without CAA Player of the Year Elizaveta Nemchinov. Phoenix head coach Elizabeth Anderson was still named CAA Coach of the Year for her efforts. Elon victories over No. 3 JMU, No. 4 Charleston and No. 5 UNCW came by narrow 4-3 margins. The Phoenix did not defeat a nationally ranked opponent on the year and six of its nine setbacks coming to ranked foes. Erica Braschi and Olivia Lucas earned First Team All-CAA honors in singles. Braschi is riding an 11-match win streak and is 14-3 at the No. 2 singles spot, while Lucas has won seven in a row and is 11-9 at No. 1. In doubles, Braschi and Taylor Casey garnered Second Team All-CAA honors. They went 7-6 in doubles and 2-1 at No. 1.
 
#3 James Madison
Series History: W&M leads 40-1
Last Meeting: W&M won 4-0 (4/18/15) – CAA Semifinals
 
James Madison owns a 16-6 record entering the CAA Tournament, including a 5-1 CAA mark. The Dukes closed out the regular season with a 5-2 win over Drexel and a 4-3 setback at home to VCU. JMU's lone loss in CAA play came to Elon, while they also own wins over Charleston, 4-3, and UNCW, 4-1, among others. Rachel Nelson and Timea Guibe earned Second Team All-CAA honors in singles. Nelson owns 14 wins on the year, including a 5-3 mark at No. 1, while Guibe is 18-12 overall and 12-6 in dual-match play at the top two posts. Guibe teamed with Kimmy Herrock to comprise an All-CAA Second Team pair in doubles. The duo finished the regular season at a perfect 9-0. Herrock turned in an impressive season in singles as did Rebecca Harrison. Herrock was 22-8 overall and 15-3 in dual-match play, while Harrison posted a team-best 23-5 mark, including a 16-2 ledger in duals.
 
#4 Charleston
Series History: W&M leads 7-2
Last Meeting: W&M won 4-0 (4/19/15) – CAA Championship
 
Charleston, who was the CAA runner-up last season, is 15-11 on the year and is coming off a 4-3 win over UNCW. The Cougars are 4-2 against the CAA with losses to both Elon and JMU by narrow 4-3 scores. Liza Fieldsend, who leads CofC with a 20-14 mark, was a First Team All-CAA selection in singles. She posted a 14-9 ledger at the No. 1 singles spot. Katherine Schofield and Mara Argyriou garnered All-CAA First Team doubles honors, sporting a record of 18-6 overall with 12 wins at No. 1. Helena Nyikos and Argyriou own impressive dual-match singles record at 17-4 and 17-5, respectively. Schofield and Brooke McAmis own 11 singles wins apiece at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.
 
#5 UNCW
Series History: W&M leads 9-0
Last Meeting: W&M won 4-0 (4/21/13) – CAA Championship
 
UNCW, which won its only CAA Championship in 2014, enters the CAA Tournament at 9-8 following a 7-0 win in its regular-season finale over Mount Olive. The Seahawks were 3-3 against the CAA, including wins over Drexel and Towson by 4-3 scores. UNCW fell to No. 2 Elon, No. 3 JMU and No. 4 Charleston, including 4-3 setbacks to  the Phoenix and CofC. Madara Straume, who has won five straight and is 9-8 on the year at No. 1, was a First Team All-CAA singles selection. UNCW's top doubles team of Christine Kharkevitch and Laura Gomez garnered All-CAA First Team honors as well. They finished the regular season at 10-4 overall and 6-2 at No. 1. Kharkevitch was a team-best 11-5 in dual-match play, including 6-3 mark at No. 2 singles.
 
#6 Towson
Series History: W&M leads 3-0
Last Meeting: W&M won 4-0 (4/20/07) – CAA Quarterfinals
 
Towson won its final five matches, including a 4-3 triumph over CAA foe Drexel on April 6. The Tigers are coming off a 5-2 win over Bucknell last week to finish the regular season at 13-9. TU owns a 3-4 mark in CAA action. Towson's line-up features a pair of All-CAA Second Team singles honorees in Nicole Shakhnazarova and Lucy Williams. Shakhnazarova owns a 16-10 mark with six wins at No. 1, while Williams tallied 16 singles wins as well, including 10 at the top two positions. Barbora Vasilkova was a team-best 19-9 in singles, including a 14-5 ledger in duals at top three positions. Shakhnazarova and Vasilkova combine to form Towson's top doubles team at 14-10 overall with six wins at No. 1.
 
#7 Drexel
Series History: W&M leads 3-0
Last Meeting: W&M won 4-2 (4/18/14) – CAA Quarterfinals
 
Drexel enters the CAA Championship at 13-6 following a 5-2 setback at JMU in the regular-season finale. The Dragons are 2-4 against CAA foe. Six of Drexel's last seven matches have been against CAA teams, including 4-1 wins over Hofstra and Delaware. Honami Yazawa earned Second Team All-CAA honors in singles after compiling an 18-9 overall mark. She was also 11-4 at the top singles post. Lea Winkler is 16-6 in singles action, including an 8-1 mark at No. 4. Both Ryshena Providence and Clary Rodriguez Cruz have won 14 singles matches apiece. Rodriguez Cruz and Yazawa lead DU in doubles with nine wins at No. 1, while Kendra Bunch and Winkler are 16-8 as a pair.
 
#8 Hofstra
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
 
Hofstra advanced to CAA quarterfinals with a 4-1 over Delaware on Thursday. The Pride improved to 14-6 on the year and the 14 wins are the most for HU since 2008. During the CAA opening round, Sarah Bowen (No. 1), Michal Kaplan (No. 2), Disha Yellayl (No. 5) and Giulla Leone (No. 6) posted singles wins after Delaware won the doubles point. Five Pride singles players own 10 or more wins on the year led by freshman Sarah Herndon and Kaplan, who have 16 each. Herndon and Kaplan have teamed to post a 12-7 mark at No. 2 doubles, while Bowen and Pestano are 12-10 at the top spot.