MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. -- The College of Charleston women's tennis team (15-6, 4-0) won a thriller over Delaware on Tuesday, 4-3 at the CofC Tennis Center. Maja Jekauc clinched the match with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory on court three.

The Cougars improve to 4-0 in CAA play - the best start since joining the conference. It is the best start to a conference slate since the 2012 squad opened Southern Conference play with seven straight victories. 

Head Coach Angelo Anastopoulo
"Delaware deserves a lot of credit to come into today with a lot of wind and the crowd we had here to support us," head coach Angelo Anastopoulo said.  "To be 4-0 in the ultra competitive CAA might be a surprise, but could be expected because of the work ethic and belief in themselves this team has. Just a gritty win. I'm really proud of them and they deserve some days off."

How It Happened
The Cougars fell behind 1-0 in all three doubles matches as the Blue Hens applied pressure. On court one, Slade Coetzee and Halli Trinkle would respond with six game wins in a row to come away with the 6-1 victory. Trinkle and Coetzee handed Delaware's No. 1 doubles pairing its first loss of the season, as the duo had previously been 11-0.

Delaware would pick up a 6-1 win of their own on court two to set up a deciding match on court three.

Down 4-3, Elizabeth Nowak and Maja Jekauc battled back. The duo pushed the match to 4-4, then won two of the next three games to lead 6-5. With the doubles point on the line, Nowak and Jekauc clinched a 1-0 start with a 7-5 doubles win. 

In singles, the action was tightly contested. The Cougars won the first set on three courts, while Delaware took the first set on the other three. Kate Earnhardt won her first set in a tiebreak.

Delware would move ahead 2-1 following wins on courts five and six, as Helena Huff suffered just her first singles loss of the season. Slade Coetzee then evened the score, winning 6-2, 6-2 in the first flight. Coetzee is now 17-1 in singles action this season.

The Cougars grabbed a 3-2 edge behind Kate Earnhardt's 7-6, 6-1 win on court four. With just one point needed for a CofC victory, the Cougars led in the deciding sets on courts two and three.

After Delaware won on court two, the match would be decided on court three. After winning the first set 6-4 and dropping the second set 5-7, Maja Jekauc could clinch the match for the Cougars by winning the third set. 

Leading 4-3 in the final set, Jekauc battled to win the last two points to prevail and clinch the match and give the Cougars the 4-3 victory.

Full results are posted below.

Singles  
1. Slade Coetzee (COFC) def. Eliza Askarova (DEL) 6-2, 6-2
2. Alina Vasilenko (DEL) def. Halli Trinkle (COFC) 7-6, 3-6, 6-2
3. Maja Jekauc (COFC) def. Julieta Honrubia (DEL) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
4. Kate Earnhardt (COFC) def. Samantha Svendsen (DEL) 7-6, 6-1
5. Dominika Sujova (DEL) def. Elizabeth Nowak (COFC) 6-3, 6-3
6. Isabella Montana (DEL) def. Helena Huff (COFC) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles  
1. Slade Coetzee/Halli Trinkle (COFC) def. Alina Vasilenko/Dominika Sujova (DEL) 6-1
2. Eliza Askarova/Samantha Svendsen (DEL) def. Clara Errard/Kate Earnhardt (COFC) 6-1
3. Elizabeth Nowak/Maja Jekauc (COFC) def. Isabella Montana/Julieta Honrubia (DEL) 7-5

Up Next
The Cougars will return to action on Wednesday, April 6, as the Cougars travel to face South Carolina State. First serve will be at 2:00 p.m.