ELON, N.C. – The No. 2 seeded Elon University women’s tennis team fell in a heartbreaker to No. 6 seeded UNCW, 4-2, in the semifinals of the CAA Women’s Tennis Championship at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
UNCW won the doubles point to take an early lead, and never allowed Elon to get closer than a brief 2-2 tie midway through singles play. Wins by Suzanna Zenoni and Maria Paraja kept the Phoenix close until Madara Straume stopped Erica Braschi’s masterful comeback attempt in its track to clinch the match for the Seahawks. With the loss, the Phoenix ends its season with an 18-8 overall mark, including a 14-2 record at home.
HIGHLIGHTS
Doubles action went down to the wire, with the point not being decided until an epic tie breaker in the third and final match. Natalia Janowicz and Maria Paraja were defeated 6-1, but followed by Olivia Lucas and Erica Braschi who stayed on their hot streak to earn a 6-2, and set up the deciding third match.
Zenoni and Kirsten Ward fell behind 4-1 to Xandra Fougner and Celeste Matute before storming back to take a 5-4 lead. UNCW battled tough to win two straight points to take a 6-5 lead, but Zenoni kept the Phoenix alive with an incredible rally to force the tie breaker. UNCW came out victorious when Ward’s shot sailed just inches outside the doubles ally, allowing the Seahawks to claim the 7-5 win, and take 1-0 lead into singles play.
Paraja wouldn’t let the Phoenix go quietly, as she cruised to a quick 6-1, 6-3 win on court five to even the score. Nearby on court four, Ward was finishing up her second meeting of the day with Fougner, who would get the best of her with a 6-2, 6-2 win to break the tie and regain a 2-1 lead for the Seahawks.
Zenoni, however, had other plans. Determined to keep the season going, she came out firing on her way to 6-1, 6-4 win, tying things up at 2-2 and giving the Phoenix a shot down the stretch. Alex Koniaev, meanwhile, was involved in her own dramatic match on court five, dropping the first set 6-4, and falling behind 0-3 in the second before storming back to take a 4-3 lead. The final three points were a battle that saw two incredible rallies before Matute managed to squeak it out with 6-4 win to put the Seahawks within one win of a trip to the conference finals.
All eyes were on Braschi on court one and Lucas on court two. After dropping her first set 6-3, Braschi fell behind 5-2 in the second before earning a break and a chance to pull within one game. After a double fault set her behind love-30, she won two straight points before falling 6-3, clinching a trip to the championship for the Seahawks.
Lucas was also in a close match on court two. After winning her first set and dropping her second, she was in a tight third set battle with Annika Sillanpaa and was trailing 5-3 when Braschi’s match ended.