NORFOLK, Va. – William & Mary women's tennis senior Marie Faure brought the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic Region Singles Championship home to Williamsburg on Tuesday afternoon behind a pair of three-set wins at the Folkes Stevens Tennis Center. After knocking off Virginia's Cassie Mercer in the semifinals to open the day, Faure rallied from a set deficit to pull out a tiebreaker win in the third over Marshall's Derya Turhan to win the regional title.

"I could not be prouder of Marie for the way she competed over the course of the tournament," associate head coach Jesse Medvene-Collins said. "She did a great job of representing our program's values each and every match. She is on a great path, and I am excited to watch her compete again at national indoors."
 
With the championship, the Tribe has claimed five ITA region singles titles in the last 14 years and nine total crowns between singles and doubles. Faure's title is the first for W&M since Maria Belaya and Jeljte Loomans won the Atlantic Region Doubles Championship in 2012 and the first region singles crown since Ragini Acharya won the East in 2008.
 
In the championship match, Faure fell behind early dropping the opening set, 6-3, to the Turhan. The Tribe senior, who is ranked No. 117 nationally, rallied to win the second in a by a matching 6-3 score to tie the title tilt between players seeded No. 5-8 at the regional event.
 
The back-and-forth third set was finally decided in a tiebreaker as Faure came back from down 5-4 and 6-5 to force it. In the breaker, Faure surged ahead, 6-4, only to have the reigning Conference USA Player of the Year rallied to pull even at six. The Tribe senior uncorked an ace straight up the T to regain the lead, and then finished with a winner at the net to claim the singles championship. Faure won six-straight matches to win the regional, and improved to team-best 10-2 on the year.
 
In the semifinals, Faure rallied from a 3-0 hole in the third set to pull out the victory over Mercer. She reeled off four-straight games, including a deuce-point victory in the sixth game, to take a 4-3 lead. The Cavalier junior moved back in front with two-straight games at 5-4. Faure showed her grit, winning the final three games to pull out the 7-5 third-set victory. After tying the match at five-all, Faure won a deuce point to take a 6-5 lead before closing out the win.
 
Faure took an early break lead in the opening set and won the final two games in winning the first, 6-3. Mercer jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second behind three deuce-point wins, before settling for a 6-2 triumph to force the decisive third.
 
By virtue of winning the Atlantic Region Singles Championship, Faure earns a spot in the exclusive USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., Nov. 3-6. The National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship is another of the college tennis grand slam events and includes a singles draw featuring only 32 of the top players from across the country.
 
W&M Results from the ITA Atlantic Region Championships
Main Singles Draw Semifinals
#5-8 Marie Faure (W&M) [117] def. Cassie Mercer (Virginia) – 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
 
Main Singles Draw Championship
#5-8 Marie Faure (W&M) [117] def. #5-8 Derya Turhan (Marshall) – 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6)