Oct. 22, 2007
ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia Tech senior Kristi Miller has advanced to the finals of the ITA South Region Singles Championships for the third-straight season and will face one of her own teammates – sophomore Amanda McDowell – for the second-consecutive year in the title match Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Miller and 2006 ITA South Region Singles finalist Kirsten Flower met in the quarterfinals, with Miller stopping the Tech sophomore, 6-1, 6-1, to advance to a semifinal match against Florida State’s Katie Rybakova.
The Seminole standout won the first set, 7-5, but Miller earned the split with a 6-4 win in the second. Rybakova then jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the final frame before Miller came alive, battling back for a third-set tiebreaker victory to advance to her third-consecutive finals appearance in the yearly event.
“I don’t know what better way for Kristi to say, `I’m back,’ Yellow Jacket head coach Bryan Shelton said. “She put for unbelievable effort and I was so impressed that she stayed the course and didn’t panic today. It was an unbelievable match and one of the better moments I’ve had since I’ve been in college coaching.”
McDowell downed Miami’s Bianca Eichkorn, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinal match Monday morning and then cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Georgia’s Kelley Hyndman in the semis to advance to the final against Miller.
The Yellow Jackets also have one doubles team – the third-ranked and top-seeded duo of Miller and Whitney McCray – remaining in the doubles draw, as the tandem advanced to the semifinals when Florida State’s Rybakova and Jessica Wente retired after falling behind, 1-6, in the match.
Miller and McDowell will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning on the center courts at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on the campus of the University of Georgia, while Miller and McCray will begin their doubles match immediately after the conclusion of singles play.
Tennis Tournament ResultsITA South Region ChampionshipsOct 20-23, 2007 at Athens, Ga.
Singles competition 64 #5 Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) def. Liz Cruz (USF) 6-3, 6-0 64 #60 Amanda McDowell (Georgia Tech) def. Carolin Walter (Florida State) 6-4, 6-1 64 Maya Johansson (Georgia Tech) def. #94 Ania Rynarzewska (Florida State) 6-2, 6-3 64 #42 Christy Striplin (Georgia Tech) def. Natalia Guevara (USF) 6-1, 6-2 64 #23 Kirsten Flower (Georgia Tech) def. Tiffany Welcher (Alabama) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 64 Noelle Hickey (Georgia Tech) def. #22 Monika Dancevic (Georgia) 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 6-1 64 Katie Rybakova (Florida State) def. #64 Whitney McCray (Georgia Tech) 7-5, 6-4 32 #5 Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) def. Romy Farah (Miami) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 32 #60 Amanda McDowell (Georgia Tech) def. Janette Bejlkova (USF) 7-5, 6-1 32 Maya Johansson (Georgia Tech) def. Caren Seenauth (Miami) 6-3, 7-5 32 #42 Christy Striplin (Georgia Tech) def. Martina Nitkova (Georgia State) 7-6 (10-8), 6-1 32 #23 Kirsten Flower (Georgia Tech) def. Elvira Serrot (UCF) 6-3, 6-2 32 Bianca Eichkorn (Miami) def. Noelle Hickey (Georgia Tech) 6-0, 6-2 C32 Whitney McCray (Georgia Tech) def. Preethi Subramanian (Mississippi) 6-3, 6-0 16 #5 Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) def. Cameron Ellis (Georgia) 7-5, 6-4 16 #23 Kirsten Flower (Georgia Tech) def. Naoko Ueshima (Georgia) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 16 #60 Amanda McDowell (Georgia Tech) def. Melissa Koning (Auburn) 6-3, 7-5 16 #125 Kelley Hyndman (Georgia) def. Maya Johansson (Georgia Tech) 6-1, 6-1 16 #42 Christy Striplin (Georgia Tech) def. #12 Diana Srebrovic (Florida) 6-4, 6-3 QF #5 Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) def. #23 Kirsten Flower (Georgia Tech) 6-1, 6-1 QF #60 Amanda McDowell (Georgia Tech) def. Bianca Eichkorn (Miami) 6-4, 6-3 QF #125 Kelley Hyndman (Georgia) def. #42 Christy Striplin (Georgia Tech) 6-0, 6-2 SF #5 Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) def. Katie Rybakova (Florida State) 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) SF #60 Amanda McDowell (Georgia Tech) def. #125 Kelley Hyndman (Georgia) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition 32 #3 Whitney McCray/Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) def. Nika Koukhartchouk/Preethi Subramanian (Mississippi) 8-1 32 #56 Kirsten Flower/Maya Johansson (Georgia Tech) def. Martina Nitkova/Mateja Podgorsek (Georgia State) 8-6 32 Caren Seenauth/Romy Farah (Miami) def. Noelle Hickey/Christy Striplin (Georgia Tech) 8-4 16 #3 Whitney McCray/Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) def. Annabelle Bares/Rawia El Sisi (Troy) 8-4 16 #56 Kirsten Flower/Maya Johansson (Georgia Tech) def. Madeleine Hakansson/Ayano Tanaka (Kennesaw State) 8-0 QF #3 Whitney McCray/Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech) def. Katie Rybakova/Jessica Wente (Florida State) 6-1 QF Diana Srebrovic/Whitney Benik (Florida) def. #56 Maya Johansson/Kirsten Flower (Georgia Tech) 8-1
Tournament notes Singles Seeds: No. 1 – Miller (GT), 2 – Srebrovic (UF), 3 – McDowell (GT), 6 – Dancevic (UGA), 7 – Johansson (GT), 8 – McCray (GT), 9-16: Flower (GT), Striplin (GT), KHyndman (UGA) Doubles Seeds: No. 1 – Miller/McCray (GT), 5-8: Flower/Johansson (GT)
