Sept. 18, 2009
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team opened its 2009-10 season Friday by winning six singles matches on the first day of the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational, a three-day tournament featuring players from Tech, Georgia, Miami and Princeton, at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
Senior Amanda McDowell led the way with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Princeton’s Melissa Saiontz in the second flight. McDowell now has 110 singles wins for her career. Sophomore All-American Irina Falconi, playing in the top single flight, finished off Hilary Bartlett of the Tigers, 6-0, 6-1. Junior Sasha Krupina, sophomore Lynn Blau and freshman Elizabeth Kilborn also earned straight-set victories for the Yellow Jackets.
Sophomore Hillary Davis, playing in the fifth flight, picked up the Jackets sixth singles win of the day when she came from behind to defeat Princeton’s Taylor Marable, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1).
“I thought it was a great day for our team and the program to play this well so early,” head coach Bryan Shelton said. “It is a good sign for our team. They are excited, energized and extremely competitive. I was just really proud of their preparations leading into today and how they executed.”
Earlier in the day, fans were treated to a three-set match between 2009 NCAA Singles runner-up Laura Vallverdu of Miami and 2009 Final Four participant Chelsey Gullickson of Georgia. Vallverdu held off Gullickson behind a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win.
In doubles, Kilborn and Krupina picked up an 8-4 victory over Melisaa Saiontz and Sarah Hoffman in the second flight.
“The team was very excited for Elizabeth in her debut,” Shelton said. “It was great to see her come out and win her singles match so convincingly and then come back to win a doubles match as well.”
Saturdays’ schedule will begin with doubles at 9 a.m., while the Jackets will begin singles play following the doubles matches.
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