Dukes Battle Past Charleston into CAA Championship Match

Saturday, April 21

Elon, N.C.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

College of Charleston

Dukes Battle Past Charleston into CAA Championship Match

4/21/2018 7:04:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score Box Score

ELON, N.C – Second-seeded James Madison set a program record for single-season wins and advanced to the program's second conference championship match following a 4-1 triumph over sixth-seeded College of Charleston in the semifinal round of the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association Women's Tennis Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Complex.

The Dukes improved to 21-3 on the year, while the Cougars ended their season with a mark of 17-11.

JMU started quickly following dominant 6-3 wins from sophomore Jona Roka and senior Dylan Owens at No. 3 and freshman Liz Norman and junior Abby Amos at No. 1 to clinch the doubles point and a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.

Norman continued the Dukes' strong play with a 6-2, 7-5 victory at No. 1 over Charleston's Helena Nyikos. The win improved Norman's stellar spring record to 18-1 and her overall record to 26-3 for the academic year.

Following Norman, Charleston cut into the JMU lead with a win at No. 6 from Laura Arciniegas over senior Kimmy Herrock 7-6(3), 6-3.

With the Dukes holding a slim 2-1 advantage, Roka used a three-set, come-from-behind win over Rachel McNeely (3-6, 6-2, 6-3) to increase the JMU lead to 3-1. The win was Roka's fourth in a row and improved her to 18-5 on the spring season.

At No. 5, sophomore Diane Flament battled past Turner Yates in three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-1) to claim match point for the second consecutive match and move the Dukes into tomorrow's championship match against top-seeded William & Mary.

WHAT THE WIN MEANS

New program record for wins in a dual season, with 21
Second appearance in the CAA title match in the last three years
Head Coach James Bryce's 70th victory at the helm

QUOTING HEAD COACH JAMES BRYCE
"That was an absolute dog fight today. Credit Charleston, they had a great season and had a really good win yesterday over Delaware. The doubles point was crucial for us today; it gave us good momentum going into singles. They threw the kitchen sink at us, and then some more. Our motto all year has been resilient and that's what we were today. We found ways to win matches. I couldn't be more proud of the team and the girls today, and we're ready for a good match tomorrow."

UP NEXT
The Dukes are a win away from their first CAA championship in program history, as they will battle top-seeded William & Mary tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.