Defending Champs Advance to CAA Semifinals

W&M downed No. 8 James Madison, 4-0, in the CAA Quarterfinals on Friday afternoon.

04/18/08 6:00PM

Newport News, Va. - The top seed William and Mary women’s tennis team cruised into the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals with a quick 4-0 victory over No. 8 seed James Madison on Friday afternoon at the Huntington Park Tennis Center. In the three singles and two doubles matches completed, the College lost only a single game on its way to the program’s seventh straight win of the year. W&M improved to 15-8 on the year with the triumph.

The Tribe flexed it muscle in doubles as both the No. 1 and No. 2 tandem’s tallied easy 8-0 wins to clinch the initial point of the afternoon. The No. 11 nationally ranked pair of senior Megan Moulton-Levy and junior Kat Zoricic rolled its ninth straight win downing Rebecca Erickson and Kristin Nimitz at the top slot. The W&M duo improved to 26-7 overall and 19-4 at the No. 1 spot. Junior Klaudyna Kasztelaniec and sophomore Ragini Acharya upped their ledger to 8-4 on the year, upending Anna Khoor and Kelly Maxwell at the No. 2 position. The win was All-CAA doubles pair’s sixth straight victory at a team.

Sophomore Carmen Pop staked the Tribe to a 2-0 lead with an unblemished triumph at the No. 5 spot. The Nijmegen, Holland native downed Alyssa Brandail, 6-0, 6-0, for her fourth straight win. Pop has won eight of her last nine matches in improving to 12-6 on the year.

Moulton-Levy, who is ranked No. 8 nationally, quickly followed suit with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Erickson at the top singles position. The CAA Player of the Year won her seventh straight match, improving to 27-6 overall and 19-4 at the top singles position. The triumph was also the 120th of Moulton-Levy’s distinguished career with the Green and Gold.

Acharya clinched the W&M victory with a win at the No. 3 slot. The Pulaski, Va., native defeated Khoor, 6-0, 6-1, for her seventh straight win of the year. Acharya, a First-Team All-CAA choice in singles, pushed her team-leading singles win total to 29 with the victory.

The Tribe will face the winner of No. 4 seed Georgia State and No. 5 seed Delaware in the semifinals at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The contest will be played at the Huntington Park Tennis Center in Newport News, Va. The CAA Championship match is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 20. W&M is looking for the program’s 20th CAA title in the 23-year history of the league.

Photo Gallery

#1 William and Mary 4, #8 James Madison 0
Singles
No. 1 - #8 Megan Moulton-Levy (W&M) def. Rebecca Erickson (JMU) - 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 - Kat Zoricic (W&M) vs. Kristin Nimitz (JMU) - DNF
No. 3 - #114 Ragini Acharya (W&M) def. Anna Khoor (JMU) - 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 - Klaudyna Kasztelaniec (W&M) vs. Kelly Maxwell (JMU) - DNF
No. 5 - Carmen Pop (W&M) def. Alyssa Brandalik (JMU) - 6-0, 6-0
No. 6 - Barbara Zidek (W&M) vs. Barrett Donner (JMU) - DNF
Finishing Order: 5, 1, 3*

Doubles
No. 1 - #11 Moulton-Levy/Zoricic (W&M) def. Erickson/Nimitz (JMU) - 8-0
No. 2 - Kasztelaniec/Acharya (W&M) def. Khoor/Maxwell (JMU) - 8-0
No. 3 - Pop/Zidek (W&M) vs. Brandalik/B. Donner (JMU) - DNF
Finishing Order: 1, 2*