April 24, 2013
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team will begin its quest for a fifth ACC Tournament title when the Yellow Jackets take on the Maryland Terrapins at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Cary (N.C.) Tennis Park.
Georgia Tech beat Maryland 4-0 in Atlanta on March 31 and the Yellow Jackets have won 15 of the last 16 meetings with the Terps.
Tech, the fifth seed, enters postseason with a 13-8 overall record, a 7-4 ACC mark and ranked No. 22. Maryland is the No. 12 seed and comes to Cary with a 6-15 overall record, a 1-10 league mark and unranked.
This will be the third straight season that Georgia Tech and Maryland have met in the first round of the ACC Tournament. In 2011, Tech downed the Terps 4-1 in the first round and the Jackets swept Maryland 4-0 in last season’s tournament opener. Georgia Tech is 4-1 all-time against UMD in the ACC Tournament with the only Terrapin victory being a 5-2 decision in 1995.
Senior Elizabeth Kilborn is the only remaining member from the last Yellow Jacket team to win the conference postseason crown. Kilborn went 4-0 in the 2010 ACC Tournament as the Yellow Jackets claimed their fourth ACC Tournament title. Kilborn clinched the semifinal victory over eighth-ranked Clemson. The Marietta, Ga., native enters the 2012 tournament ranked No. 94 and has five wins over ranked opponents playing from the top spot of the Tech lineup.
Freshman Kendal Woodard is the highest ranked Yellow Jacket at No. 90 in the latest ITA Division I Tennis Rankings. The Stockbridge, Ga., native has a team-best 21 singles wins this year playing mostly from the No. 2 position of the Georgia Tech lineup. Woodard has four wins over ranked foes and has won her last seven matches heading into postseason play.
In doubles, Woodard and fellow freshman Megan Kurey have been dominant for the Jackets at the top of the lineup. The rookie duo owns a 22-5 overall record, an 18-2 mark in dual matches and finished the ACC regular season with a 9-1 mark against conference foes. The Tech side is ranked No. 56 in the latest collegiate tennis poll.
As a team, the Yellow Jackets have won three straight matches and seven of their last nine to close the regular season.
Fans are encouraged to follow Georgia Tech women’s tennis on Twitter, @GT_WTEN, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, GTWomensTennis, for an inside look at the program.
–RamblinWreck.com–
