WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Some call it the clutch gene, others believe winning is a habit. Safe to say, William & Mary women's tennis has a championship DNA and it was on display in a 4-3 Colonial Athletic Association Semifinal victory over Elon on Saturday morning at the Mackesy Tennis Center.
 
Drop the doubles point, no problem. Sophomore sensation Hedda Gurholt flexed her muscle at the top spot to draw the Tribe (14-5) even at one.
 
Down 3-1 and needing everything remaining, no sweat thanks to a pair of Emmas. Freshman Emma Pell (No. 6) and sophomore Emma Fernald (No. 4) won in straight sets for the second day in a row to tie the match at three.
 
W&M then turned to its veteran presence in the form of graduate student Sofiya Kuzina, who was no stranger to championship moments having led her previous school, Long Island, to a conference title before spending her final season in Williamsburg. Adding to the drama, Elon's Helen Sarikulaya jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the opening set at No. 3. Kuzina didn't blink, winning the final five games of the first and five of the first six in the second on the way to the clinching 6-2 victory.
 
Winners in eight of their last nine, the Tribe earned a spot in its eight-straight CAA Championship match and 26th time in the last 28 years since the league switch to a head-to-head tournament format.
 
How It Happened
- The Phoenix (16-7) jumped in front 1-0 by taking the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 3.
- Gurholt brought the Tribe back even in a straight-sets win at the top spot. After rolling to a 6-1 win in the opening set, the Green and Gold sophomore won five of the first six games in set two on the way to a 6-4 victory over Sibel Tanik. It was Gurholt's eighth-straight win as she improved to 19-7 overall and 14-3 at the top spot.
- After Elon picked up wins at No. 2 and No. 5 to increase its lead to 3-1, Pell brought the Tribe back within one thanks to her second win in as many days at No. 6. The W&M rookie downed Miray Konar, 6-3, 6-2, to narrow the margin to 3-2. She upped her mark to 14-7 overall and 10-5 on line six.
- Like Pell, Fernald won for the second-straight day at No. 4 and in the process drew the Tribe even at three. She won the opening set, 6-3, and then won the final three games of second for a 7-5 victory. Fernald won her seventh in a row, improving to 18-8 overall and 11-5 at No. 4.
- It all came down to No. 3 where Kuzina trailed 5-2 in the opening set against Sarikulaya. The Tribe graduate student turned the tables, winning 11 of the match's final 13 games, including an unblemished final service game, to give the top seed the victory. Kuzina ran her season record to 16-11 with her third-straight win in moving to 9-3 on line three.
 
Up Next
The Tribe faces the winner of No. 6 seed UNCW in the championship on Sunday. The match carries a 2 p.m. start from the Mackesy Tennis Center in Williamsburg.
 
#1 William & Mary 4, #4 Elon 3
Singles
No. 1 – Hedda Gurholt (W&M) def. Sibel Tanik (Elon) – 6-1, 6-4
No. 2 – Lizette Reding (Elon) def. Elisa Van Meeteren (W&M) – 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 – Sofiya Kuzina (W&M) def. Helen Sarikulaya (Elon) – 7-5, 6-2
No. 4 – Emma Fernald (W&M) def. Julie Ball (Elon) – 6-3, 7-5
No. 5 – Olivia Archer (Elon) def. Ine Stange (W&M) – 6-1, 6-0
No. 6 – Emma Pell (W&M) def. Miray Konar (Elon) – 6-3, 6-2
Finishing Order: 1, 5, 2, 6, 4, 3*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Tanik/Reding (Elon) def. Kuzina/Stange (W&M) – 6-2
No. 2 – Van Meeteren/Fernald (W&M) vs. Ball/Cordisco (Elon) – DNF, 5-3
No. 3 – Archer/Konar (Elon) def. Gurholt/Pell (W&M) – 6-3
Finishing Order: 3, 1*