ELON – The No. 74 Elon women's tennis team (16-4) begins its second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday with a match against
No. 31Charlotte (22-4) in Athens, Georgia. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m.
The Phoenix is coming off its second consecutive CAA championship earlier this month, which secured the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Elon is seeking its first NCAA Tournament victory in a rematch of its season opener against the 49ers.
The winner of Saturday's first round match will face either No. 1 Georgia or Alabama State in Sunday's second round of the Athens regional.
No. 74 Elon vs. No. 31 Charlotte Briefing
Match Details: May 2, 2026 | Athens, Ga. | Dan Magill Tennis Complex | 10 a.m.
The Matchup
- Charlotte holds a slight 12-7 edge in the all-time series. The 49ers have won their last four meetings against the Phoenix.
- The 49ers topped the Phoenix, 7-0, in Elon's first match of the spring on Jan. 16.
- Elon's last victory against Charlotte came on March 18, 2016, when the Phoenix won, 6-1.
About The Phoenix
- Elon is 16-4 this season and won its second straight CAA championship earlier this month with a 4-3 victory over William & Mary in the title match.
- The Phoenix entered the ITA team rankings earlier this spring, peaking at No. 58, the highest mark in program history.
- Simone Bergeron is back for her junior season after a breakout campaign last spring that saw her take home CAA Women's Tennis Player of the Year. Bergeron has 24 wins across doubles and singles this spring after earning All-CAA First Team recognition in both last season.
- Bergeron's primary doubles partner this season has been Mariana Reding, who also earned First Team All-CAA honors in doubles a season ago. Reding, also a junior, leads the Phoenix with 28 combined wins this season.
- After a strong freshman campaign that saw her secure All-CAA Second Team recognition, Lisa Kranec has been one of Elon's top contributors this spring, with 14 doubles victories and 10 singles wins, including the victory that clinched Elon's CAA title.
- Also back for the Phoenix is senior Madison Cordisco, who finished second on the team last season with 17 singles triumphs. She went 14-4 at the No. 5 position.
- Senior Helen Sarikulaya also received All-CAA recognition in both singles (Third Team) and doubles (Second Team) last spring.
- Elon welcomes three newcomers this season – Cornelia Kack, Alexis Nyborg and Nathalie Marinovitch.
- Kack joined the Phoenix after earning All-CAA Third Team honors in doubles last season as a freshman at Delaware and is second on the Phoenix with 27 total wins this spring. Nyborg came to Elon following two successful seasons at UNC Asheville, where she earned All-Big South First Team honors in singles in 2025. The junior is third on the Phoenix with 12 singles wins this spring.
- Marinovitch, a native of Cochabamba, Bolivia, is Elon's lone freshman.
- Elon is led by reigning CAA Coach of the Year Elizabeth Anderson, who is in her 22nd season leading the Phoenix. She is joined by first-year assistant coach Allie Gretkowski, who played college tennis at South Carolina and Louisville.
Back-To-Back
- Elon won its second straight CAA championship on April 19, winning a thrilling 4-3 decision against William & Mary at the Tribe's indoor facility.
- It was Elon's second straight CAA championship match victory over the Tribe.
- Elon won a crucial doubles point with victories at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots.
- On Court 1, Bergeron and Reding went down an early break but stormed back for a 6-2 triumph against the Tribe's top tandem of Sia Chaudry and Francesca Davis.
- Kack and Kranec seized early control of their match on Court 3 on the way to a decisive 6-2 win that clinched the opening point for the Phoenix.
- This was the second time Kack and Kranec clinched the doubles point for Elon against William & Mary this season, as they also did so in the regular season.
- The Tribe evened the score with a win at the No. 4 spot.
- Kack nudged the Phoenix back in front with a convincing 6-1, 6-1 result over Chaudry on Court 1. It was Kack's 13th win of the spring, 10 of which have come in straight sets.
- William & Mary again pulled even with a victory on Court 6.
- In a back-and-forth battle on Court 3, Reding won the final four games in a final set to deliver a crucial point for the Phoenix. Reding came from an early break down to win the opening set against Tilda Larsson but found herself in a deciding frame. Reding fell behind 4-2 in the final set but broke back for 4-3 in the next game. Looking to consolidate the break, Reding fell behind 0-40 in her next service game. However, she dug her way out of the hole and won a deuce point to hold for 4-4.
- Reding broke in the next game to go ahead 5-4 and successfully served out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory in the ensuing service game. This was just Reding's second completed match to reach a third set this season and was the second three-set victory of her CAA Tournament career.
- Bergeron lost a tight match in the third set, allowing William & Mary to even the score at 3-3.
- While Bergeron's match was finishing, Kranec was engaged in a dramatic tussle on Court 5 that proved to be the final match on court. Kranec dropped the opening set against Rebeka Svabikova but held serve four times in the second to get the score to 4-4. In the ninth game, Kranec won a deuce point to break Svabikova's serve and then served out the set to send the tilt into a third.
- Kranec took early control in the decider, going ahead 3-0 after a hold, break and another hold. However, Svabikova got the break back and pushed the match set to 5-5. In the 11th game, Kranec manufactured a crucial hold of serve to go ahead 6-5 and force Svabikova to serve for a tiebreak. Svabikova successfully held to force the contest into a championship-deciding tiebreak.
- In the tiebreak, Kranec sprinted out of the gates, winning the first point on her own serve before winning the next two points on Svabikova's serve. Kranec then won both of her next two service points and took a 6-0 lead into the change of ends. Svabikova saved the first of six championship points but missed wide on a ground stroke on the second as Kranec secured the clinching 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) win for the Phoenix.
Elon In The NCAA Tournament
- This will be Elon's third NCAA Tournament appearance after previously qualifying in 2014 and 2025.
- The Phoenix has lost both its opening round matches in the tournament.
- In 2014, Elon was also in the Athens regional and fell 4-0 to No. 1 Georgia.
- The Phoenix played another SEC school last season, falling 4-0 to No. 10 Tennessee in Knoxville.
- Elon is a No. 3 seed in a regional for the first time this season.
Regular Season Rematch
- Elon and Charlotte met indoors on Jan. 16 at Lifetime Fitness in Charlotte. The match was Elon's season opener.
- Charlotte took the doubles point with wins at the top two spots. Bergeron and Reding faced Sara Suchankova and Ni Xi, the ITA's No. 47 ranked duo, on the first court, falling 6-4.
- The 49ers swept the six singles matches but the Phoenix won a set in two of them.
- On Court 5, Kranec won the first set against Prisca Abbas but lost the second in a tiebreak. In a decisive match tiebreak, Abbas edged Kranec, 10-8.
- Cordisco also won her first set at the No. 6 spot against Yelyzaveta Chainykova but lost the match in three.
- The sweep was just one of two Elon suffered this season in 20 matches.
Phoenix In The Rankings
- Elon checked back into the ITA team rankings on Tuesday at No. 74. The Phoenix was previously ranked three straight weeks in the ITA poll earlier this season.
- The Phoenix entered the rankings on March 3 at No. 58, the highest ranking in Elon's Division I history, beating the previous best mark of No. 59 from the poll on March 5, 2013. Elon was then ranked in the March 10, March 17 and March 24 editions of the rankings.
- Elon's ranking on March 3 was its first since Jan. 6, 2015, when the Phoenix held the 75th and final spot in the standings.
- Elon is the only CAA team to be ranked this season. All four of Elon's losses this season have come against teams that have been ranked in the top 60 at some point this season.
Most Outstanding Mar
- Reding leads the Phoenix with 28 victories across doubles and singles this spring and is coming off a 4-0 showing at the CAA Tournament that earned her Most Outstanding Player honors.
- The junior enters the NCAA Tournament on a 12-match singles winning streak, with 10 of the 12 victories coming in straight sets. It is the longest dual winning streak by a Phoenix since Olivia Archer won 15 straight matches to close the 2023 campaign.
- Reding delivered Elon's crucial third point in the CAA championship match, rallying from a break down in the third for a dramatic victory.
- Reding's 15 singles victories are the most on the Phoenix, with all the wins coming at the No. 3 spot.
- Reding has won 15 of her last 16 completed singles matches and 30 of her last 34 sets in finished matches. Her only match loss in that stretch came against No. 3 North Carolina.
- Reding's lone two singles losses this season are to ranked opponents (Charlotte and North Carolina).
- In doubles, Reding is 13-5 at the No. 1 spot alongside Bergeron. Their win against UNCG on April 8 secured Reding's third straight season with double-digit wins in doubles.
- Reding and Bergeron went 2-0 during Elon's CAA title run, clinching the doubles point in the semifinals against Drexel.
- Elon's top duo took home CAA Doubles Team of the Week on April 14, the second time the pairing has earned the honor after winning it once last spring.
- Reding was also named CAA Player of the Week on March 3 after going 6-0 overall in Elon's sweeps against North Carolina A&T, Wofford and Davidson.
- The CAA Player of the Week nod was the second of Reding's career, as she previously received the honor on Jan. 28, 2025.
- Reding is up to 43 career dual singles wins and is Elon's active singles win leader. The junior has moved into a tie for 15th on Elon's all-time wins list.
Kack Attack
- Kack's Elon career is off to a prolific start, as the sophomore is second to Reding for the team lead in total victories (27).
- During Elon's CAA title run, Kack went 3-0 in completed matches with a pair of doubles victories alongside Kranec to go along with a win at No. 1 singles in the final against William & Mary.
- Kack made her No. 1 singles debut for Elon against Furman on March 14, winning in three sets to clinch the victory for the Phoenix. The sophomore has since clinched Elon's wins against UConn and College of Charleston with victories at the No. 1 position.
- Kack has won 10 of her last 11 completed singles matches. Her only loss in that span came against No. 63 Old Dominion.
- The sophomore has been ruthless in singles, winning 10 sets by either a 6-1 or 6-0 scoreline, including a pair in her 6-1, 6-1 win in the CAA title match.
- Like Reding, Kack's only singles losses this season have come against Charlotte, North Carolina and Old Dominion, all ranked opponents.
- Prior to the Furman match, Kack played the No. 2 spot, winning seven times.
- Kack has also formed one of Elon's most reliable doubles pairings alongside Kranec, with the duo leading the Phoenix in doubles wins this spring (14).
- Kack earned CAA Co-Player of the Week honors on Feb. 17 after a dominant stretch in which she posted multiple singles and doubles wins for the Phoenix.
- Against No. 3 North Carolina on Feb. 17, Kack took a set off Oby Kajuru, the No. 7-ranked player in the ITA standings, pushing the nationally ranked Tar Heel to three sets at the No. 2 singles position.
Super Simone
- Last season, Bergeron became the first Elon player to win both CAA Player of the Year and CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
- She picked up 20 doubles victories in her sophomore campaign, tied for the third most in a season by an Elon player.
- All 12 of Bergeron's singles victories last spring came at the No. 1 position, which included the CAA title clinching win against William & Mary.
- Bergeron has compiled 78 dual wins across singles and doubles in her first three campaigns with the Phoenix. She won at least 12 matches in both singles and doubles in each of her first two seasons and is one singles victory away from reaching the feat for a third straight year.
- This fall, Bergeron was selected as the CAA's singles representative at ITA Conference Masters. She was the first Elon player to compete at the event.
- Bergeron has 24 victories this spring, with 13 coming at No. 1 doubles alongside Reding. Their victory against UNCG on April 8 secured Bergeron's third straight season with 10-plus dual doubles wins.
- In the CAA Tournament, Bergeron and Reding won a pair of matches at the top doubles spot to help the Phoenix earn the doubles point in both victories. They clinched Elon's opening point with a win in the semifinals against Drexel.
- The duo took home CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors on April 14, their second time earning the honor after winning it once last spring.
- Bergeron has also won six of her last eight completed singles matches, with all six of the wins coming in straight sets. After playing the No. 1 spot to start the season, Bergeron recently moved to No. 2 singles and is 6-2 playing that court.
- The junior picked up a ranked singles win on April 4 with a 7-6 (5), 3-0 victory over Old Dominion's Victoria Matasova, the No. 117 player in the ITA singles rankings.
- Against Queens on March 21, Bergeron pitched a perfect day across doubles and singles, going 18-0 in total games. After sweeping her doubles match with Reding, she won her singles match 6-0, 6-0, her first time blanking an opponent in singles since the 2024 CAA Tournament against Monmouth.
Big Lex
- In her debut campaign with the Phoenix, Nyborg has become a reliable contributor in both doubles and singles.
- Nyborg is third on the Phoenix with 12 singles wins this spring and has won seven of her last nine completed matches, including a victory in the CAA Tournament semifinals against Drexel.
- On April 7, Nyborg was tabbed as the CAA Player of the Week following her match-clinching three-set win against William & Mary on April 3.
- The junior has played the Nos. 4 and 5 singles spots, with each of her nine seven appearances coming at the No. 4 position. She is 7-3 playing the fourth court for the Phoenix this spring.
- Of Nyborg's 12 wins this season, 10 have come in straight sets, with two of her three defeats this season coming against teams that have been ranked this season.
- Nyborg joined Elon's doubles lineup against North Carolina A&T on Feb. 25 and has appeared at the No. 2 spot in every match since, picking up six wins with Cordisco and Marinovitch.
- The Nyborg and Cordisco duo is 5-3 this season, with wins against the Aggies, South Carolina State, Queens, UNCG and Coastal Carolina.
- Nyborg also clinched the doubles point for the Phoenix against Furman alongside Marinovitch, as the tandem of Elon newcomers rallied from a break down to win 7-5 at the No. 2 spot on March 14.
Kranec The Conqueror
- Kranec was Elon's conquering hero in the CAA championship match, clinching the conference title with a dramatic comeback victory in the final contest to finish on Court 5.
- Kranec has now won two dual singles matches in her career after dropping the opening set, both coming in CAA championship matches against William & Mary.
- The victory over the Tribe got Kranec to double-digit singles victories on the season.
- The sophomore went 4-0 at the CAA Tournament, joining Reding as the only Phoenix to go unbeaten during Elon's conference title run.
- Kranec and Kack lead the Phoenix with 14 doubles victories, all coming at the No. 3 spot.
- Kranec pushed Thea Rabman of North Carolina to a third set on Feb. 17 after winning the first set off her ranked Tar Heel opponent in a tiebreak.
Doubles Success
- Elon has won the doubles point in 12 of the last 15 matches and in 14 of its 16 victories this season.
- On March 21, Elon had a perfect doubles point against Queens, as the Phoenix won all three matches 6-0 for the first time since 2019.
- Kack and Kranec lead the Phoenix with 14 wins at the No. 3 spot, including a pair of victories at the CAA Tournament. The duo clinched the doubles point for Elon in the CAA championship match against William & Mary.
- Bergeron and Reding have won six of their last seven completed matches together and are second on the team with 13 victories this spring at the No. 1 spot. They also went 2-0 in the CAA Tournament, highlighted by a victory against Drexel in the semifinals that secured the doubles point for the Phoenix.
- Of the six Elon doubles pairs to complete a match this spring, five have delivered victories.
- Elon has won two of its last three matches after dropping the doubles point, as the Phoenix defeated both UConn and Charleston by matching 5-2 scores.
- Including matches from the fall season, Elon is 66-25 in completed doubles matches in the 2025-26 campaign.
Career Milestones
- Several Phoenix are moving up Elon's all-time ranks in career doubles wins.
- With her 13 doubles victories this spring, Bergeron is up to 46 career wins. The junior became the 14th Phoenix to reach 40 career dual doubles victories earlier this season and is tied with Olivia Lucas for the 11th most in program history.
- Reding is not far behind her doubles partner, as she recently cracked the top 15 in career doubles wins with Elon, reaching 45 to tie her with Victoria Saldh for the 12th most by a Phoenix.
- Cordisco is also making a move up the doubles rankings, as the senior is up to 37 career victories.
- With her 15 singles wins this season, Reding also has 43 career wins in singles, tied for the 15th most in program history.
The Anderson Era
- Head coach Elizabeth Anderson is in her 22nd season leading the maroon and gold.
- Anderson has turned Elon into a consistent winner. Under her guidance, the Phoenix has posted 20 consecutive winning seasons, all of which have included double-digit victories.
- Since joining the CAA in the 2014-15 season, Elon has won at least one match in all 11 of its CAA Tournament appearances.
- Anderson has led the program to back-to-back CAA championships and NCAA Tournament bids. She has guided the Phoenix to all three of its Division I conference championships.
- In Elon's final season in the Southern Conference, Anderson led the maroon and gold to the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 2013. The Phoenix won its first Southern Conference championship that season to qualify.
- Since taking over as head coach in 2005, Anderson has tallied 324 victories at Elon. Her winning percentage is 63% in 515 career matches.
- Anderson was named CAA Coach of the Year in 2025, the second time in her career she earned the honor.
- Elon has also been a strong performer in the classroom during Anderson's tenure. The program has earned All-ITA Academic Team honors in 20 consecutive seasons.
Scouting No. 31 Charlotte
- Charlotte enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-4 record. The 49ers are currently No. 31 in the ITA rankings.
- The 49ers had their program-record 17-match winning streak snapped in the American Conference Championship semifinals against Rice.
- During Charlotte's 17-match winning streak, the 49ers notched ranked wins over #43 Penn State, #56 Rice, #59 Old Dominion, #59 Georgia Tech and #66 Maryland. Charlotte also won matches against Wake Forest and William & Mary in that span.
- This is Charlotte's second NCAA Tournament appearance. The 49ers also qualified in 2023, losing 4-2 to No. 25 Kansas.
- Suchankova leads Charlotte with a 16-2 dual singles record. Nine of her victories have come at the No. 2 spot with seven coming at the No. 3 position.
- Abbas (14), Shona Nakano (13) and Chainykova (13) have also reached double-digit singles wins this spring.
- Xi has played the top singles spot this season for the 49ers, compiling a 9-6 mark.
- Charlotte's top doubles pair of Suchankova and Xi is up to No. 37 in the ITA rankings and 16-4 together this spring.
- Nakano and Andrea Chacon are close behind with 15 wins as a duo. The pairing has won at all three spots this season.
- Anthony Davison is in his ninth season as the head coach of his alma mater.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon women's tennis, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonWTennis), Instagram (elonwtennis) and Facebook (Elon Women's Tennis).
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