GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the third-straight year and 25th time overall, the William & Mary women's tennis team captured the Colonial Athletic Association Championship, downing UNCW, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon at the Piedmont Tennis Center. The Tribe's lone senior, Marie Faure, put the exclamation point on the title, rallying for a three-set victory in the clincher at the No. 2 singles.
 
After UNCW (11-8) claimed the doubles point, the Tribe (14-10) responded with singles wins from sophomore Lauren Goodman and freshmen Natalia Perry and Rosie Cheng to go along with Faure's triumph. The Green and Gold, which was the top seed in the league championship, won the CAA crown for the fourth time in five years under head coach Tyler Thomson. W&M owns 25 of the league's 33 all-time championships and will play in the NCAA Championship for the 22nd time in program history after securing the league's automatic bid. The Seahawks were the first No. 6 seed in CAA history to advance to the title match after upset wins over No. 3 Charleston and No. 2 Elon.

Goodman quickly pulled the Tribe even at one with a dominating win at the fifth singles position. The Tribe sophomore dropped just one game in a commanding 6-0, 6-1 victory over Sabrina Barisano. It was Goodman's third win in as many days at the CAA Championship as she pushed her win streak to five matches. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native improved to 16-14 overall, 13-9 in duals and 6-2 at No. 5.
 
Perry put W&M on top for good with a straight-sets win at No. 3. The Tribe rookie bounced Alix Theodossiou, 6-2, 6-1, for her 20th win of the year and first at the CAA Championship. Her previous two singles matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals were abandoned with the team results decided. Perry claimed her 10th dual-match victory and fifth at the third spot.
 
Like Goodman, Cheng wrapped up the CAA Championship with a perfect 3-0 singles mark, increasing the Tribe lead to 3-1. She won in straight-sets for the third-straight day, upending Xandra Fougner, 6-1, 6-3, at No. 4. Cheng pushed her win streak to four matches and claimed victory for the 13th time in her last 14 matches. The Tribe rookie extended her record to 19-9 overall, 15-4 in dual-match competition and 8-2 at No. 4.
 
UNCW drew within 3-2 thanks to a win at No. 1. The Seahawks actually took a set lead at the top two positions as Annika Sillanpaa jumped out to an early lead over Faure with a 6-2 victory in the opening set. The Tribe senior responded with a 7-5 triumph in the second and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the final set. Sillanpaa pulled within 4-3, but Faure would not be outdone, winning the final two games of the third set to ignite a Green and Gold celebration. She won her fourth straight along with claiming victories in both the CAA Semifinal and Championship matches. Faure increased her team-leading singles win total to 22, while upping her ledger to 10-6 at the No. 2 spot.
 
For the second-straight day, the Tribe found itself in an early hole as UNCW took the doubles point. Junior Ekaterina Stepanova and Cheng put W&M in front with a commanding 6-1 win over Celeste Matute and Fougner at No. 3. It was the tandem's second win of the season. UNCW answered with a win at No. 2, and the point came down to the top spot. The Seahawks' Madara Straume and Sabrina Barisano jumped out to a 4-2 lead, before Faure and Goodman responded with three-straight games to take a 5-4 advantage. The match came down to a tiebreaker where the UNCW pulled out a 7-6 (5) victory to secure the initial point of the match.
 
W&M is set to make its 18 NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 22 years and 22nd overall. The Green and Gold has advanced to NCAAs in four of five years under head coach Tyler Thomson. The Tribe awaits its destination in the NCAA Championship. The selection show is set for Tuesday, May 2, at 5:30 p.m., and will be streamed on NCAA.com.
 
#50 William & Mary 4, UNCW 2
Singles
No. 1 – Madara Straume (UNCW) def. Ekaterina Stepanova (W&M) – 6-3, 7-5  
No. 2 – Marie Faure (W&M) def. Annika Sillanpaa (UNCW) – 2-6, 7-5, 6-3
No. 3 – Natalia Perry (W&M) def. Alix Theodossiou (UNCW) – 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 – Rosie Cheng (W&M) def. Xandra Fougner (UNCW) – 6-1, 6-3
No. 5 – Lauren Goodman (W&M) def. Sabrina Barisano (UNCW) – 6-0, 6-1
No. 6 – Maria Groener (W&M) vs. Celeste Matute (UNCW) – DNF, 7-5, 5-2
Finishing Order: 5, 3, 4, 1, 2*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Straume/Barisano (UNCW) def. Faure/Goodman (W&M) – 7-6 (5)
No. 2 – Sillanpaa/Theodossiou (UNCW) def. Perry/Wuenscher (W&M) – 6-3
No. 3 – Stepanova/Cheng (W&M) def. Fougner/Matute (UNCW) – 6-1
Finishing Order: 3, 2, 1*