WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary women's tennis team kicks off the 2019 dual-match season at home on Tuesday afternoon, hosting in-state foe Richmond. The contest is slated for a 2 p.m. start time from the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center.
 
Fans can watch all the Tribe tennis action at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center via PlaySight. The advanced sports video and analytics technology is equipped with an interactive touch-screen kiosk, plus six fully automated HD cameras. The system uses advanced image processing and analytical algorithms to capture and log stroke type, ball trajectory, speed and spin, in-depth shot data, player movement and more. PlaySight's camera-and-kiosk system is built with state-of-the-art tennis analytics technology that turns any court into a SmartCourt, offering line calling, livestreaming, instant multi-angle video replays and detailed statistics about every shot played. Both matches will be played at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center and will be live streamed via PlaySight on TribeAthletics.com/TennisLive.



Scouting the Tribe
- The Tribe returns seven players from a season ago, including each of its top four players. W&M finished 2018 at 17-10 overall and capped the season ranked second in the Atlantic Region and No. 45 nationally. The regional ranking was the program's highest since holding down the No. 1 spot in the East Region in 2008, while the Green and Gold was ranked in the top 50 to end the year for the third time in the last four seasons.
- W&M has won 26 of the 34 all-time CAA Championships, including each of the last four. Every player on the Tribe roster has won the league title during each of their seasons on campus.
- The Tribe is under new leadership in 2019 as former Tribe assistant Toni Bickford was named W&M's 10th head coach on Sept. 24. Most recently, Bickford was the associate head coach at Old Dominion, helping the Monarchs to 19-5 record and top 50 national ranking last season on the way to being named the regional assistant coach of the year. In her 16 years as an assistant, Bickford helped teams to a combined 216-146 record with 46 nationally-ranked wins and her programs finished in the national rankings in 12 of 16 seasons.
- Bickford was an assistant at W&M from 2008-11, helping W&M to 40 wins, including 18 over ranked foes. The Tribe won a CAA title in 2011, and Bickford was named the ITA Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
- Junior Natalia Perry, who was an All-CAA First Team pick last season, led the Tribe with six singles wins during the fall season and posted her 50th career win as well. She won five matches, including an upset win over the No. 32-ranked player in the country, on her way to the ITA Atlantic Region Singles Championship match in October.
- Junior Rosie Cheng, who was ranked No. 97 in single during the fall, competed in a pair of elite national events in the ITA Oracle Masters and Riviera/ITA All-American Championships during the fall. She tallied a win over the No. 23-ranked player in the country to advance to the round of 16 at the Oracle ITA Masters in September. Cheng finished last season ranked No. 3 in the ITA Atlantic Region and was named both the CAA Player of the Year and the ITA Atlantic Region Player to Watch.
- Each of the last two seasons, senior Lauren Goodman has led the Tribe in doubles victories with 19. She is the Tribe's active leader in career singles (57) and doubles (54) victories. Goodman is a three-time All-CAA selection.
- Senior Clara Tanielian earned All-CAA honors a season ago and finished the year ranked No. 12 in the ITA Atlantic Region. She tallied a 4-2 mark in singles action during the fall after posting a 26-13 mark in her first campaign in Williamsburg last season.
- W&M added one freshman to the fold for 2018-19 in Mila Saric. She earned a career-high combined ITF Combined World Ranking of 429 in 2018 and was ranked No. 1 in the Canary Islands and top 20 U18 in Spain as a junior. Saric won four singles matches during the fall campaign.
 
In Openers
- The Tribe is 33-5 all-time in season openers dating back to 1981, including a 22-1 record when those season openers have come in Williamsburg. W&M is 35-3 in home opener since 1981 and have won nine straight.
- The Green and Gold opens the season at home for the third-straight season and have won four-straight openers.
 
Scouting Richmond
- Richmond finished last season at 9-12 overall and 4-2 in the Atlantic 10. They picked up A10 Tournament wins over Rhode Island and Duquesne in advancing to the semifinals before falling to eventual champion VCU, 4-2.
- Sophomore Emily Dunbar returns after earning Atlantic 10 co-Performer of the Year honors a season ago. She was also named the league's rookies of the year as well as a first team all-league player.
- Junior Kiana Marshall joined Dunbar on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team in 2018. She was 14-9 in singles action in earning all-league honors for the second-straight year.  
- Marshall leads Richmond with a 4-2 singles record this season, while Adrienne Hayes went 3-1 during the fall.
- Marshall teamed with Dunbar to comprise UR's top doubles team during the fall. The duo won the top flight at the Navy Invitational and are 3-1 on the year.
 
Series History: W&M vs. Richmond
- W&M and Richmond meet for the third-straight season and 47th time overall.
- Each of the last 13 meetings between the teams have been played in Williamsburg.
- The Tribe leads the all-time series with the Spiders at 45-1, including a 28-0 mark in Williamsburg.
- The Green and Gold has won 44 straight in the all-time series dating back to 1980.  
- Last season, W&M topped Richmond, 6-1. It marked the fifth-straight match between the schools that ended with a 6-1 score line.
 
Up Next
- The Tribe returns to action when it travels to Charlotte, N.C., to take on reigning Big South Champions Winthrop on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m.