Jan. 23, 2015
Live Scoring for All Matches | ITA Kickoff Central | The Good Word Preview
The #18 Georgia Tech women’s tennis team hosts the ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex on Saturday, Jan. 24 and Sunday, Jan. 25, at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. The Yellow Jackets face #38 Columbia at 10 a.m. on Saturday and #19 Oklahoma State and #29 Texas Tech play at 2 p.m. The championship match is slated for 2 p.m. on Sunday and the consolation match will be played at 10 a.m.
The team that wins the championship match will advance to the ITA National Team Indoors in Charlottesville, Va. from Feb. 6-9.
Parking notice for Sunday
Due to a home men’s basketball game on Sunday, fans will need to pay for parking for the 10 a.m. match. At 1:30 p.m., parking will open back up for free for patrons.
Scouting the Competition
All four teams this weekend are ranked in the top 40 in this week’s ITA poll – #18 Georgia Tech, #19 Oklahoma State, #29 Texas Tech and #38 Columbia. Oklahoma State features the nation’s No. 10 ranked singles player at first singles in sophomore Viktoriya Lushkova, who went 12-4 this fall. Junior transfer Kelsey Laurente plays second and partners with Lushkova in doubles as the No. 5 team in the country. Sophomore Katarina Adamovic plays third singles and is ranked No. 53 this spring.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are led by sophomore Lynn Kiro and senior Kenna Kilgo at first and second singles. Kiro, ranked No. 35, has earned the highest ever ranking for a Red Raider in the national singles rankings. Freshman Sarah Dvorak will play third singles and is ranked No. 89.
Junior Kanika Vaidya returns to the Columbia Lions at first singles and will also play first doubles with freshman Rima Asatrian. Asatrian is one of three freshmen in the Lions’ lineup and is highest in the ladder, playing second singles. Sophomore Tina Jiang and senior Crystal Leung play third and fourth singles and are ranked No. 42 in the national doubles rankings together.
Jackets in the Rankings
The Yellow Jackets debuted in the first ITA team poll at #18 and stayed at #18 this week. Georgia Tech wrapped up the 2014 season ranked at #18 after going 14-10. The Jackets have three singles players and one doubles duo that are also ranked in the season’s first polls.
Freshman is the #63 ranked singles player after recording a team-best eight singles wins this fall. Ranked at #81 is junior who went 5-2 during the tournament season. Freshman is ranked at #121 after recording a 7-3 singles record in the fall.
The doubles tandem of sophomore and freshman check in at #28 on the doubles ranking after going 6-2 during the fall. The duo won three-straight matches at the end of the season.
Recapping the Opening Weekend
The Yellow Jackets picked up nine singles wins and six doubles victories at the Mal Moore Invitational at Alabama this past weekend. Freshman Alexis Prokopuik led the way in singles for the Jackets going 3-0 in competition. Junior Natasha Prokhnevska and freshman Johnnise Renaud teamed up to go 3-0 in doubles.
Freshman Paige Hourigan defeated two top-ranked opponents in singles with one ranked as the #25 player in the country and the other ranked #46. Sophomore Rasheeda McAdoo, Renaud, junior Kendal Woodard and sophomore Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer each picked up one singles victory at Alabama.
The Jackets switched up some of the doubles pairings this weekend with each of the following duos winning one match: Hourigan and McAdoo, Woodard and Prokopuik and McAdoo and Prokopuik.
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Next Up
The Yellow Jackets remain home, hosting South Florida on January 31 at 2 p.m. at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
