ELON, N.C. – For the 27th time in school history and the first since 2018, William & Mary women's tennis is the champion of the Colonial Athletic Association.
 
Freshman Emma Fernald rallied for a three-set win at the No. 5 singles to lift the Tribe (13-8) to a 4-1 win over host Elon on Sunday afternoon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
 
Junior Raffaela Alhach and freshman Ine Stange were keys to the Tribe's success throughout the CAA Championship. In singles, both Alhach and Stange won all three of their matches in the CAA Tournament, including key wins on Sunday.
 
Just over 17 hours removed from a thrilling semifinal win over Delaware, the Tribe took the early lead over the Phoenix (17-9), capturing the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Senior Mila Saric and Fernald rolled on line two, topping Victoria Saldh and Julie Ball without dropping a game, 6-0. The rookie tandem of Hedda Gurholt and Stange clinched the point with a 6-2 win over Ali O'Dea and Olivia Archer at No. 3. Both Tribe teams improved to 5-2 on the year.
 
Alhach made quick work of Saldh at No. 3, dropping just three games in a convincing 6-0, 6-3 win to increase the Tribe margin to 2-0. The Tribe junior came on strong in the latter stages of the season, winning her fourth in a row and her 19th overall on the year.
 
Like she had in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, Stange provided the Tribe with a huge point at No. 6. The Tribe rookie upended Shauna Galvin, 6-3, 7-5, to extend the margin to 3-0. Stange won her sixth match in a row, while improving to 16-8 overall and an impressive 7-1 on line six.
 
The balance of the match and the CAA title came down to a trio of matches that went three sets. Needing just one to secure the league title, the Tribe received that triumph in comeback fashion from Fernald.
 
After dropping the opening set to O'Dea, Fernald responded with a 6-1 win in the second. She secured the Tribe victory and the league crown with a 6-3 win in the third, inciting a Green and Gold celebration. Fernald improved to 19-10 on the year with the win.
 
Up Next: The Tribe awaits its position and location in the 2022 NCAA Championship. The selection show is set for Monday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on NCAA.com.
 
#2 William & Mary 4, #4 Elon 1
Singles
No. 1 – #121 Mila Saric (W&M) vs. Sibel Tanik (Elon) – DNF, 6-7 (5), 6-3
No. 2 – Hedda Gurholt (W&M) vs. Lizette Reding (Elon) – DNF, 2-6, 6-3, 0-3
No. 3 – Raffaela Alhach (W&M) def. Victoria Saldh (Elon) – 6-0, 6-3
No. 4 – Olivia Archer (Elon) def. Elisa Van Meeteren (W&M) – 7-5, 6-0
No. 5 – Emma Fernald (W&M) def. Ali O'Dea (Elon) – 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
No. 6 – Ine Stange (W&M) def. Shauna Galvin (Elon) – 6-3, 7-5
Finishing Order: 3, 6, 4, 5*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Alhach/Van Meeteren (W&M) vs. Reding/Tanik (Elon) – DNF, 1-5
No. 2 – Fernald/Saric (W&M) def. Saldh/Ball (Elon) – 6-0
No. 3 – Gurholt/Stange (W&M) def. O'Dea/Archer (Elon) – 6-2
Finishing Order: 2, 3*