CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—Babson College senior Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) recorded a straight-set win in singles and teamed with first-year Sandra Sikharulidze (Kyiv, Ukraine) another doubles victory in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championships on Sunday afternoon at the Champions Tennis Club. 

With Sunday's wins, Cristiani advances to the NCAA singles final for the first time in her career and the championship match in doubles for the fourth consecutive season. She previously had reached the 2023 final before winning back-to-back national championships in 2024 and 2025 while playing alongside Olivia Soffer '25. 

Sikharulidze saw her run in the singles draw come to an end with a three-set loss to junior Lia Melvin (Joppa, Md.) of Johns Hopkins. 

Cristiani, who is the top-seed in the singles draw, continued her dominant run through the bracket with a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over fourth-seeded Sarena Biria (Kansas City, Kan.) of Chicago. Down 2-1 in the first set, she fended off three game points on serve to pull even, broke Biria, and then won a key deuce point to grab a 4-2 lead. 

Cristiani won another deuce point after trailing 40-30 on serve before breaking Biria to close out the set. She broke her opponent twice more on the way to taking a 4-0 lead in the second on the way to closing out the match. 

Sikharulidze, who entered Sunday's semifinals riding a 20-match winning streak, claimed the opening set before Melvin rallied for a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory to advance to Monday's final. She jumped out to a 3-0 lead, broke Melvin twice and won 14-of-16 first-serve points in the opening stanza. 

Sikharulidze erased three game points to hold serve and pull even at 3-3 in the second before Melvin won the next three games while dropping just three points to force a third set. Sikharulidze went in front 1-0 but Melvin fought off two game points to pull even and then broke Sikharulidze twice around winning a deuce point for a 4-1 advantage. 

Melvin was ahead 5-2 and 30-0 when the match was delayed due to rain. Sikharuldize rallied to win two straight games before Melvin converted her second match point. 

Cristiani and Sikharulidze continued their strong play in doubles with 6-1, 6-2 victory over senior Eliana Hanna (La Canada, Calif.) and sophomore Ally Lin (Katy, Texas) of WashU. The Beavers' top duo jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the first set and converted a break chance for a 2-0 lead in the second. Hanna and Lin held serve to make it 2-1, but Cristiani and Sikharulidze won a key deuce point to make it 3-1 and extended the margin to 5-1 before ending the match on serve. 

Cristiani will take on Melvin in Monday's 10 a.m. singles final before she and Sikharulidze meet the second-seeded pairing of Lindsay Eisenman and Rebecca Kong of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the 1 p.m. doubles final. 

About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.