RICHMOND, Va. – William & Mary jumped out to a 3-0 lead and used a pair of three-set wins in the middle of the lineup to pick up an impressive road win at VCU, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Thalhimer Tennis Center. In a match-up of former Colonial Athletic Association rivals, the Tribe handed the Rams their first home loss of the season in 12 matches, while extending its win streak over the Richmond school to three.

The Tribe (6-11) claimed the doubles point for the sixth time in the last nine matches thanks to wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Juniors Rosie Cheng and Charlotte Madson extended the Green and Gold advantage to 3-0 with straight-sets wins at No. 2 and No. 6.
 
VCU (12-5), who was coming off a 5-2 win over James Madison on Thursday, pulled within 3-2 thanks to singles wins at No. 1 and No. 5. Freshman Mila Saric and senior Clara Tanielian cemented the Tribe victory with come-from-behind three-set wins in the middle of the lineup. Saric rallied for a three-set win at No. 4 to clinch the Tribe's third-straight team victory.
 
How It Happened
- The Tribe captured the doubles point for the 10th time this season and sixth in the last nine matches with wins at No. 2 and No. 3. After VCU won at the top spot, the Green and Gold tandem of junior Natalia Perry and Saric topped Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado and Kanako Yano, 6-2, on line two. The duo ran its record to 10-4 overall, including a 5-2 ledger at No. 2.
- Senior Lauren Goodman and Madson clinched the initial point of the match with a 6-4 triumph over Marina Alcaide Bakkari and Sofia Sualehe at No. 3. Goodman and Madson won their sixth match of the season, improving to 4-3 at the third spot.
- Cheng and Madson posted straight-set wins at No. 2 and No. 6, respectively, to increase the Tribe lead to 3-0. Cheng dropped just two games on line two in dominating 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Anna Rasmussen, who is a two-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team pick. Cheng won her eighth match of the season and improved to 2-2 at No. 2.
- Madson continued her winning ways notching her fifth victory in a row. She bounced Sofia Sualehe, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 6. Madson pushed her season ledger to 11-10 overall and 9-6 in dual-match competition.
- The Rams won first sets at the other four singles posts and drew within 3-2 thanks to victories at No. 1 and No. 5.
- Saric and Tanielian rallied for three set wins in the middle of the lineup to finalize the Green and Gold victory. After dropping the opening 6-4 to Yano at No. 4, Saric rallied to force a decisive third set with a 6-3 win in the second. The Tribe rookie rolled in the final set, dropping just one game on the way to a 6-1 victory. She extended her team-leading mark to 14-10 overall and 10-5 in dual-match play. Saric has clinched each of the Tribe's last three wins.
- Tanielian rounded out the Tribe victory with a come-from-behind three-set win at No. 3. VCU's Marina Alcaide Bakkari, who entered the match at an impressive 18-3, took the opening set, 6-4. Tanielian won nine of the next 11 games, claiming the second set, 6-1, and taking a 3-1 lead in the third. She pulled out the win, 6-4, for her 10th triumph of the year. Tanielian improved to 6-4 at the No. 3 slot.
 
Up Next
The Tribe wraps up its road swing with two more matches against opponents from the state of Virginia. W&M travels to CAA foe James Madison on Sunday, April 7, at noon for a rematch of last season's league championship match, before heading to Liberty on Monday, April 8, at 1 p.m.
 
W&M 5, VCU 2
Singles
No. 1 – #73 Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado (VCU) def. Natalia Perry (W&M) – 7-5, 6-2
No. 2 – Rosie Cheng (W&M) def. Anna Rasmussen (VCU) – 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 – Clara Tanielian (W&M) def. Marina Alcaide Bakkari (VCU) – 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
No. 4 – Mila Saric (W&M) def. Kanako Yano (VCU) – 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 – Noumea Witmus (VCU) def. Lauren Goodman (W&M) – 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 – Charlotte Madson (W&M) def. Sofia Sualehe (VCU) – 6-2, 6-4
Finishing Order: 2, 6, 1, 5, 4*, 3
 
Doubles
No. 1 - Rasmussen/Witmus (VCU) def. Okuyama/Tanielian (W&M) – 6-1
No. 2 - Perry/Saric (W&M) def. Delgado/Yano (VCU) – 6-2
No. 3 - Goodman/Madson (W&M) def. Bakkari/Sualehe (VCU) – 6-4
Finishing Order: 1, 2, 3*