WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary women's tennis opened the dual-match season with a 6-1 win over in-state foe Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon.
 
W&M swept doubles before winning five of six singles contests, including four in straight sets to secure the victory. Seniors Hedda Gurholt and Ine Stange and sophomore Francesca Davis each tallied a singles and doubles win in the Tribe's victory over the Spartans.
 
How It Happened
- W&M won all three doubles spots to take a 1-0 lead. Senior Alessandra Anghel and Davis gave the Tribe the early lead with a convincing 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot over Caroline Nicholls and Sara Sofia Gonzalez. The Tribe pair moved to 3-1 on the season.
- Playing together for the first time this season, Gurholt and Stange clinched the doubles wins thanks to a 6-4 win over Angelina Maniewska and Irina Ioana Iurea at the No. 1 post. It was the 18th career win for Gurholt and Stange as a pair and their first at the top position.
- Junior Yaelle Vaissaud and sophomore Parker Debnam rounded out the doubles sweep by outlasting Sabrina Ioana Iurea and Sofiya Tsitavets in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7), at No. 3 to run their mark to 3-0 on the year.
- Davis and Stange carried their strong play over to singles, upping W&M's lead to 3-0. Davis dropped just three games in a 6-1, 6-2 win over Irina Ioana Iurea on line five, while Stange nearly blanked Sabrina Ioana Iurea, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 4. Davis improved to 11-3 on the season and is an impressive 16-3 in dual-match play over the last two season. The singles win was the seventh of the season for Stange.
- Junior Sia Chaudry provided the clincher at No. 3, winning for the fourth time in singles action this season. She took matching 6-3 sets from Angelina Maniewska to secure the team triumph.  
- After a Norfolk State win at No. 2, freshman Mira Kernagis tallied W&M's fifth team point of the day, downing Sara Sofia Gonzalez, 6-4, 7-5, at No. 6. Kernagis improved to 9-4 in singles action.
- Gurholt rounded out the Tribe win, rallying for a three-set victory over Caroline Nicholls at the top spot. The Spartan player claimed the opening set, 6-3, before Gurholt bounced back by winning the final four games of the second set to pull even, 7-5. In the third-set super tiebreaker, Gurholt won the final three points to claim her seventh win of the year and 79th of her career, 10-6.
 
Up Next
The Tribe continues its season-opening three-match homestand when it hosts Big 12 foe West Virginia on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 11 a.m. Fans can follow the action via PlaySight at TribeAthletics.com/TennisLive.
 
William & Mary 6, Norfolk State 1
Singles
No. 1 – Hedda Gurholt (W&M) def. Caroline Nicholls (NSU) – 3-6, 7-5, 10-6
No. 2 – Sofiya Tsitavets (NSU) def. Alessandra Anghel (W&M) – 6-4, 6-4
No. 3 – Sia Chaudry (W&M) def. Angelina Maniewska (NSU) – 6-3, 6-3
No. 4 – Ine Stange (W&M) def. Sabrina Ioana Iurea (NSU) –6-0, 6-1
No. 5 – Francesca Davis (W&M) def. Irina Ioana Iurea (NSU) – 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 – Mira Kernagis (W&M) def. Sara Sofia Gonzalez (NSU) – 6-4, 7-5
Finishing Order: 5, 4, 3*, 2, 6, 1
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Gurholt/Stange (W&M) def. I. Iurea/Maniewska (NSU) – 6-4
No. 2 – Anghel/Davis (W&M) def. Nicholls/Gonzalez (NSU) – 6-2
No. 3 – Debnam/Vaissaud (W&M) def. S. Iurea/Tsitavets (NSU) – 7-6 (7)
Finishing Order: 2, 1*, 3