CHARLESTON, S.C. – The No. 39-ranked William & Mary women's tennis team suffered a 4-3 setback at the College of Charleston on Saturday morning. W&M (4-6) swept doubles and led 3-2 following singles victories from junior Maria Groener and freshman Rosie Cheng. The Cougars (4-2) rallied by winning four of the six singles matches, including the final two at No. 1 and No. 3, to pull off the upset. 
 
The Tribe opened the match in dominating fashion winning at all three doubles matches. Groener and freshman Charlotte Madson blanked Sarah Jane Jones and Sarah Zschunke, 6-0, at the No. 3 spot to improve to 2-1 on the year. Senior Marie Faure and sophomore Lauren Goodman clinched the initial point of the match with their second straight victory at the top post. The combination rolled to a 6-2 win over Liza Fieldsend and Rachel McNeely, upping their season mark to 7-5. Juniors Ekaterina Stepanova and Olivia Thaler rounded out the Tribe sweep with their first victory as a tandem, downing Mara Argyriou and Anastasia Palaska, 6-5 (2), at No. 2.
 
Cheng quickly pushed the Tribe lead to 2-0 with a win at No. 6. The Tribe rookie dropped just two games in topping Zschunke, 6-1, 6-1. She won for the seventh time this season and evened her dual-match record at 3-3.
 
Charleston tied the match with wins at the No. 2 and No. 5 singles positions, before Groener won her third straight to put the Green and Gold back in front. She bounced Palaska, 6-1, 6-4, at the No. 4 position to record her eighth win on the year. Groener improved to 4-3 in dual match play.
 
At No. 1, Stepanova jumped out to a set advantage, taking the first from Fieldsend, 6-3. The Charleston senior responded with a 6-1 in the second and then tied the overall match with a 6-3 victory in the third set. McNeely clinched the CofC victory, outlasting Perry, 6-4, 7-5, at the No. 3 spot.
 
The Tribe continues its trip to the Palmetto State at No. 21 South Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 11 a.m. Live stats and video will be available for the match-up with USC at GamecocksOnline.com.
 
Charleston 4, #39 William & Mary 3
Singles
No. 1 - Liza Fieldsend (CofC) def. Ekaterina Stepanova (W&M) – 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 - Mara Argyriou (CofC) def. Olivia Thaler (W&M) – 7-5, 6-1
No. 3 - Rachel McNeely (CofC) def. Natalia Perry (W&M) – 6-4, 7-5
No. 4 - Maria Groener (W&M) def. Anastasia Palaska (CofC) – 6-1, 6-4
No. 5 - Sarah Jane Jones (CofC) def. Charlotte Madson (W&M) – 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 - Rosie Cheng (W&M) def. Sarah Zschunke (CofC) – 6-1, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 2, 4, 1, 3*
 
Doubles
No. 1 - Goodman/Faure (W&M) def. Fieldsend/McNeely (CofC) – 6-2
No. 2 - Stepanova/Thaler (W&M) def. Argyriou/Palaska (CofC) – 6-5 (2)
No. 3 - Groener/Madson (W&M) def. Jones/Zschunke (CofC) – 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 1*, 2