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MIla Saric yells after winning her match at No. 1 singles vs. Elon.

Women's Tennis

Women's Tennis Roars into the CAA Finals with a Convincing 4-0 Win over Elon

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary women's tennis won its fourth straight and continued to dominate at the Colonial Athletic Association Championship, avenging a regular-season setback to Elon in convincing fashion, 4-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Millie West Tennis Facility.
 
The Green and Gold (7-8) uses a similar combination to its late season surge to capture the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. Junior Mila Saric and sophomore Raffaella Alhach ran their win streaks to seven and five, respectively, with singles triumphs at No. 1 and No. 5. Senior Vitoria Okuyama won the clincher at No. 4 to send the Tribe to the CAA title match for the six-straight time.  
 
W&M snapped Elon's six-match win streak and the Phoenix finished the year at 17-5.

How It Happened
- Graduate student Jill van den Dungen and Okuyama gave the Tribe the early lead in doubles, winning the final two games at the top spot for a 6-4 victory over Lizette Reding and Alison O'Dea. The Tribe duo ran its record to 4-0 at No. 1.
- After an Elon win at No. 3, Saric and sophomore Alisia Manolescu clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win on line two over Olivia Archer and Sibel Tanik. The Green and Gold pairing broke the Phoenix in the eighth game to go up 5-3 on the way to victory. They are 3-0 on the year and 2-0 at No. 2.
- Saric wasted little time increasing the Tribe lead to 2-0 with another dominating win at the top post. She dropped just three games in winning her seventh in a row, 6-1, 6-2, over Victoria Saldh. Saric improved to 10-2 this season at No. 1.
- In total, the Tribe won the opening set at five of the six positions and forced a third set in the lone opening set it dropped at No. 2.
- Alhach ran her record to 5-0 at No. 5, rolling to matching 6-1 sets in taking down Sofia Edo and extending the Tribe lead to 3-0. She has won five in a row and is 6-3 overall on the year.
- Okuyama claimed the clinching match for the third time in the last four Tribe victories. She topped Olivia Archer, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 4 for her third win in a row. Okuyama improved to 4-2 at No. 4 and 7-6 overall.
 
Up Next
The Tribe advances to the CAA Championship where it will face top-seeded James Madison in a rematch of the 2019 title contest. In fact, W&M and JMU have met for the CAA title in each of the last three championships and four of the last five. The 2021 title tilt is slated for a 1 p.m. start from the Millie West Tennis Facility.
 
#3 William & Mary 4, #2 Elon 0
Singles

No. 1 – Mila Saric (W&M) def. Victoria Saldh (Elon) – 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 – Jill van den Dungen (W&M) vs. Sibel Tanik (Elon) – DNF, 1-6, 6-2, 0-2
No. 3 – Elisa Van Meeteren (W&M) vs. Lizette Reding (Elon) – DNF, 6-4, 2-3
No. 4 – Vitoria Okuyama (W&M) def. Olivia Archer (Elon) – 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 – Raffaela Alhach (W&M) def. Sofia Edo (Elon) – 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 – Alisia Manolescu (W&M) vs. Alison O'Dea (Elon) – DNF, 6-2, 4-1
Finishing Order: 1, 5, 4*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – van den Dungen/Okuyama (W&M) def. Reding/O'Dea (Elon) – 6-4
No. 2 – Saric/Alisia Manolescu (W&M) def. Archer/Tanik (Elon) – 6-4
No. 3 – Saldh/Edo (Elon) def. Alhach/Van Meeteren (W&M) – 6-2
Finishing Order: 1, 3, 2*
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Players Mentioned

Raffaela Alhach

Raffaela Alhach

5' 10"
Sophomore
Vitoria Okuyama

Vitoria Okuyama

5' 6"
Senior
Mila Saric

Mila Saric

5' 8"
Junior
Elisa Van Meeteren

Elisa Van Meeteren

5' 9"
Sophomore
Jill van den Dungen

Jill van den Dungen

5' 10"
Graduate Student
Alisia Manolescu

Alisia Manolescu

5' 6"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Raffaela Alhach

Raffaela Alhach

5' 10"
Sophomore
Vitoria Okuyama

Vitoria Okuyama

5' 6"
Senior
Mila Saric

Mila Saric

5' 8"
Junior
Elisa Van Meeteren

Elisa Van Meeteren

5' 9"
Sophomore
Jill van den Dungen

Jill van den Dungen

5' 10"
Graduate Student
Alisia Manolescu

Alisia Manolescu

5' 6"
Sophomore