Seahawks Seek Second CAA Women's Tennis Crown

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Second-year Head Coach Hans Olsen and the UNCW women's tennis team eyes its second Colonial Athletic Association title this weekend when the conference tournament gets under way at Elon's Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and the Burlington Tennis Center.

Nine teams will compete for the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The CAA Championship opens with a first-round match on Thursday, April 20. Quarterfinal action starts at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 21, followed by the semifinals on Saturday, April 22, and the championship early Sunday, April 23.

The Seahawks are the #6 seed and will face familiar foe #3 College of Charleston on Friday at 1 p.m. The two teams just met seven days ago and the Cougars claimed a 5-2 decision at home. The victor plays the winner of the #2 Elon vs. #7 Towson match in one of two semifinals on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Junior Madara Straume will lead the Seahawks after fashioning a 13-3 record this spring. The LSU transfer played every match at the top of the lineup and went 12-2 in doubles play with two different partners.

As a team, the Seahawks are 56-38 (.604) in singles and 29-18 (.644) in doubles this spring. Olsen's team went 2-3 against CAA teams during the regular season.

Two-time defending champion and heavy favorite William & Mary, ranked #48 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), is the top seed in the women's draw. The Tribe has captured 24 of the last 32 CAA championships, including last year when it topped James Madison, 4-1. W&M is led by junior Ekaterina Stepanova and senior Marie Faure.

Elon, 17-7 during the regular season, collected the #2 seed and owns a sparkling 13-1 record at home this season. The Phoenix are anchored by juniors Erica Braschi and Olivia Lucas, with both players recording 14 wins in dual matches.

Charleston, 18-8, landed the #3 seed. The Cougars reached the championship match in 2014 and 2015 and dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to W&M in last year's semifinals. Back to pace the Cougars are seniors Liza Fieldsend and Mara Argyriou.

James Madison, meanwhile, has won seven of its last nine matches and will be the #4 seed. The 16-7 Dukes reached the finals last season for the first time since 1991. JMU features a pair of returnees in senior Timea Guibe and sophomore Emma Petersen.

2017 CAA WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 20-23, 2017 – Jimmy Powell Tennis Center/Burlington Tennis Center
Elon University – Elon, N.C.

Thursday, April 20 | First Round (Burlington Tennis Center)
10 a.m. – #8 Drexel vs. #9 Hofstra

Friday, April 21 | Quarterfinals (Burlington Tennis Center)
8:30 a.m. – #1 William & Mary vs. Drexel/Hofstra winner
                #4 James Madison vs. #5 Delaware
1 p.m. –      #2 Elon vs. #7 Hofstra
                #3 College of Charleston vs. #6 UNCW

Saturday, April 22 | Semifinals (Jimmy Powell Tennis Center)
10 a.m. – W&M/Drexel-Hofstra winner vs. JMU/Delaware winner
                Elon/Towson winner vs. CofC/UNCW winner

Sunday, April 23 | Finals (Jimmy Powell Tennis Center)
10 a.m. – Championship

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Players Mentioned

Madara Straume: 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Madara Straume
: 5' 8"; Junior

UNC Wilmington Athletics

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Seahawks Seek Second CAA Women's Tennis Crown

Players Mentioned

Madara Straume

Players Mentioned

Madara Straume