ELON, N.C. -- The top-seeded College of Charleston women's tennis team improved to 19-6 overall and 7-0 against CAA opponents with a 4-0 victory over No. 8 seed Hofstra on Friday at the CAA Championships on the campus of Elon University. The Cougars move on to Saturday's semifinals and will face the host team Elon. The Phoenix defeated UNCW by a score of 4-0.

The Cougars got off to a blazing start in doubles behind Slade Coetzee and Halli Trinkle's 6-0 win on court one. Charleston clinched the doubles point when Clara Errard and Kate Earnhardt wrapped up a 6-2 victory on court two. CofC entered singles competition with a 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard.

Courts two, four, and six produced dominant straight-set victories for the Cougars and would be enough to seal Hofstra's fate. Kate Earnhardt cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win on court four, doubling CofC's lead to 2-0. Halli Trinkle kept the Cougars' momentum going with a 6-4, 6-1 win on court two after a comeback in the first set. 

Charleston clinched the match when Clara Errard picked up a 6-1, 6-3 victory on court six. The Cougars won the first set of every other match that was in progress when the match was called. CofC did not lose a set all day. 

Head Coach Angelo Anastopoulo on the win:
"A nice win today against Hofstra, a team we haven't played in over five years. Coach Richard is doing a great job with his team and we needed a good performance today to prevail.  Our team worked through some minor nerves quickly and finished really strong."

...on facing the host Elon in the semifinals:
"We have a great challenge ahead playing Elon on their home courts. They get large crowds that are very vocal. It should be a great college tennis atmosphere and we will need to be at our best."

Full results are posted below.

Singles
1. Slade Coetzee (COFC) vs. Katherine Kachkarov (HOFSTRA) 6-2, 5-0, unfinished
2. Halli Trinkle (COFC) def. Kayla Solagnier (HOFSTRA) 6-4, 6-1
3. Maja Jekauc (COFC) vs. Deniz Soyer (HOFSTRA) 7-6 (7-4), 2-1, unfinished
4. Kate Earnhardt (COFC) def. Kaitlyn Ferguson (HOFSTRA) 6-1, 6-1
5. Elizabeth Nowak (COFC) vs. April Sanchez (HOFSTRA) 6-2, 5-3, unfinished
6. Clara Errard (COFC) def. Mandisa Walle (HOFSTRA) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles  
1. Halli Trinkle/Slade Coetzee (COFC) def. Mandisa Walle/Deniz Soyer (HOFSTRA) 6-0
2. Clara Errard/Kate Earnhardt (COFC) def. April Sanchez/Katherine Kachkarov (HOFSTRA) 6-2
3. Elizabeth Nowak/Maja Jekauc (COFC) vs. Kayla Solagnier/Ananyaa Bhargava (HOFSTRA) 4-2, unfinished

Scouting Elon
The Cougars will face a tough test on semifinal Saturday at the CAA Championships. Charleston will face Elon, the host of this year's tournament. The fourth-seeded Phoenix made quick work of fifth-seeded UNCW on Friday, cruising to a 4-0 victory.

Elon has been nearly flawless at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center this season, boasting a 14-1 home record following Friday's win. The Phoenix posted a 1-3 record in CAA play this season, with all three losses coming on the road. 

Charleston faced Elon at the CofC Tennis Center on March 15, a match that ended in a 5-2 CofC victory. Elon and Charleston have met once previously in the CAA Championships, also in the semifnals. The Cougars won that match 4-1 en route to a second straight CAA championship appearance. 

CofC is looking for its first appearance in the finals of the CAA Championships since 2015.  

Up Next

The College of Charleston moves on to the semifinals to face Elon on Saturday, April 30. First serve is at 10:00 a.m.