WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – After a back-and-forth narrow 4-3 win in the semifinals on Saturday, the championship match served as more of a coronation for William & Mary. The Tribe rolled to its 28th-straight Colonial Athletic Association thanks to a 4-0 win over UNCW on Sunday afternoon at the Mackesy Tennis Center.
 
Senior Elisa Van Meeteren's overhead smash at No. 2 gave the Tribe the doubles point, and W&M (15-5) left little doubt in singles on the way to winning back-to-back crowns under head coach Jessica Giuggioli. Graduate student Sofiya Kuzina (No. 3) and sophomores Hedda Gurholt (No. 1) and Ine Stange (No. 5) easily won in straight sets to help the Tribe in lifting the trophy.
 
The Tribe continued its dominance of the league, winning its 28th CAA title in the 38-year history of the conference. Since the league adopted its current head-to-head team format for the championship in 1995, W&M is 69-9 (.885) at the event. The Tribe is 162-23 (.876) all-time versus league opponents and 59-5 (.922) against current league members.
 
How It Happened
- The Tribe captured the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead behind victories at No. 2 and No. 3. Gurholt and freshman Emma Pell gave W&M the early lead with a 6-2 triumph over Stela Joksimovic and Meredith Taylor at No. 3. The Tribe tandem improved to 8-4 on the season.
- After UNCW (13-9) rallied for a win at No. 1, sophomore Emma Fernald and Van Meeteren won the final two games on line two to clinch the initial point of the match. The Seahawk team of Anna Daniel and Zoe Huffman broke to even the match at four. W&M answered with a break of its own in the ninth game, before Van Meeteren's overhead smash could not be returned, lifting the Tribe to a 6-4 victory. It was the second-straight win at the championship for the duo and their ninth overall on the season.
- The Green and Gold wasted little time seizing control of the singles portion of the match, winning five of the six first sets.
- Kuzina won for the third time in as many days, dropping just three games at No. 3 to extend the margin to 2-0. She dominated Anna Daniels, 6-2, 6-1, for her 17th win of the season.
- Gurholt followed quickly with her ninth win in a row at the top spot. She rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Zoe Huffman at No. 1. The Tribe sophomore ran her season mark to 20-7, including a remarkable 15-3 at No. 1.
- With strong leads at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6, the question of the clincher was answered by Stange. After being named the Most Outstanding Performer at last season's CAA Championship, Stange put the finishing touches on the Tribe title with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Stela Joksimovic at No. 5. She improved to 13-9 overall and 9-3 in dual-match action.
 
Up Next
The Tribe awaits its position and location in the 2023 NCAA Championship. The selection show is set for Monday, May 1, at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on NCAA.com.
 
#1 Williams & Mary 4, #6 UNCW 0
Singles
No. 1 – Hedda Gurholt (W&M) def. Zoe Huffman (UNCW) – 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 – Elisa Van Meeteren (W&M) vs. Eda Arli (UNCW) – DNF, 5-7, 0-1
No. 3 – Sofiya Kuzina (W&M) def. Anna Daniels (UNCW) – 6-2, 6-1
No. 4 – Emma Fernald (W&M) vs. Lauren Gish (UNCW) – DNF, 6-0, 5-2
No. 5 – Ine Stange (W&M) def. Stela Joksimovic (UNCW) – 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 – Emma Pell (W&M) vs. Gabbie Glickstein (UNCW) – DNF, 6-1, 4-3
Finishing Order: 3, 1, 5*
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Arli/Gish (UNCW) def. Stange/Kuzina (W&M) – 6-4
No. 2 – Fernald/Van Meeteren (W&M) def. Daniels/Huffman (UNCW) – 6-4
No. 3 – Gurholt/Pell (W&M) def. Joksimovic/Taylor (UNCW) – 6-2
Finishing Order: 3, 1, 2*