WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary opened defense of its Colonial Athletic Association Championship on Friday morning with a strong 4-0 win over North Carolina A&T at the Mackesy Tennis Center.
 
The Tribe (13-5) advanced to the league's semifinals for the 10th-straight year thanks to the doubles point and singles victories from graduate student Sofiya Kuzina, sophomore Emma Fernald and freshman Emma Pell.
 
How It Happened
- The Tribe dominated in doubles without dropping a game at both No. 2 and No. 3 to take a 1-0 lead. It marked the 11th time in its 18th match that W&M won the doubles point.
- Fernald and senior Elisa Van Meeteren blanked Cielo Tapia Cruz and Nuria Sanz for their eighth win of the year, while Gurholt and Pell did the same to Nour Gueblaoui and Asima Sazan at No. 3 to clinch the point. Sophomore Hedda Gurholt and Pell improved to 7-3 on the season.
- The trio of Fernald (No. 4), Pell (No. 6) and Kuzina (No. 3) finished in quick succession to lift the Tribe to victory.
- Fernald pushed the margin to 2-0 with a triumph at No. 4. After not dropping a game in the first set, she bounced Isabella Romanichen, 6-4, in the second for her sixth-straight win.
- Pell quickly extended the Tribe advantage to 3-0 with a convincing win at No. 6. The Tribe rookie dropped just three games on her way to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Asima Sazan. She upped her mark to 13-7 overall and 10-5 at No. 4.
- Kuzina clinched the Tribe quarterfinal win with her second straight victory at No. 3. She topped Nuria Sanz, 6-1, 6-3, to move to 15-11 overall. Kuzina is now 8-3 on line three and 5-1 against CAA competition.
 
Up Next
The Tribe advances to the semifinals of the CAA Championship where it will face either No. 4 Elon at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The match will be played at the Mackesy Tennis Center, weather permitting. The McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center will serve as the indoor back-up for the CAA Championship. Stay tuned to TribeAthletics.com and Tribe women's tennis (@WMTribeWTennis) on social media for updates.
 
#1 William & Mary 4, #9 North Carolina A&T 0
Singles
No. 1 - Hedda Gurholt (W&M) vs. Lana Caculovic (NC A&T) – DNF, 7-5, 3-2
No. 2 - Elisa Van Meeteren (W&M) vs. Cielo Tapia Cruz (NC A&T) – DNF, 7-5, 0-0
No. 3 - Sofiya Kuzina (W&M) def. Nuria Sanz (NC A&T) – 6-1, 6-4
No. 4 - Emma Fernald (W&M) vs. Isabella Romanichen (NC A&T) – 6-0, 6-4
No. 5 - Ine Stange (W&M) vs. Nour Gueblaoui (NC A&T) – DNF, 6-6 (2-1)
No. 6 – Emma Pell (W&M) def. Asima Sazan (NC A&T) – 6-1, 6-2
Finishing Order: 4, 6, 3*
 
Doubles
No. 1 - Kuzina/Stange (W&M) vs. Caculovic/Romanichen (NC A&T) – DNF, 4-2
No. 2 - Fernald/Van Meeteren (W&M) def. Tapia Cruz/Sanz (NC A&T) – 6-0
No. 3 - Gurholt/Pell (W&M) def. Gueblaoui/Sazan (NC A&T) – 6-0
Finishing Order: 2, 3*