April 23, 2015
CARY, N.C. — The #25-ranked Georgia Tech women’s tennis team (14-8, 9-5 ACC) used a complete effort to blank NC State (11-16, 1-13 ACC), 4-0, in the second round of the ACC Tournament at the Cary Tennis Park on Thursday afternoon.
“It was good to be able to play back outside having to play last weekend indoors,” head coach Rodney Harmon said. “NC State is a really good team. They had a lot of momentum coming in after their win against Wake Forest. I thought they did a great job in the doubles. We were able to sneak out the point. I thought that we struggled a little bit in the first sets in singles but we were able to settle down and play well to finish off some first sets and play well in the second sets.”
The #6 seed Yellow Jackets used the doubles points plus three singles victories to blank #14 seed NC State and advance to the quarterfinals. Tech won the doubles point for the 17th time this season.
The #16-ranked pair of junior Kendal Woodard and freshman Paige Hourigan extended their doubles match winning streak to seven straight against NC State. The duo rolled to a quick 8-3 win against Joanna Nalborska and Natalia Janowicz on court one.
After falling behind 4-1 to Elisha Hande and Nicole Martinez, junior Megan Kurey and sophomore Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer fought back to tie the match 5-5 on court two. The Wolfpack won the next three games to win 8-5 and even up doubles play.
On court three, sophomore Rasheeda McAdoo freshman Johnnise Renad and Liza Fieldsend and Sophie Nelson stayed neck and neck, playing to a 7-7 tie. McAdoo and Renaud went up 4-1 in the tiebreaker and after Fieldsend and Nelson scored one point to make it 4-2, the Jacket duo rattled off the next three points to clinch the doubles point for the Jackets and the 8-7 (7-2) victory.
The Wolfpack weren’t going down without a fight, keeping it close in all of the singles matches.
Hourigan, who checks in at #53 in the nation, was the first to tally a point for Georgia Tech in singles. Hourigan defeated Fieldsend in straight-sets, 6-3, 6-4, to push Tech ahead, 2-0.
The next two wins came mere seconds apart on courts five and one to clinch the Yellow Jackets’ victory against NC State.
On court five, Kurey took a close set, 7-5, in the first frame and breezed past Sophie Nelson, 6-1, in set two to put the Yellow Jackets in position to clinch.
Mere seconds later, #102 Renaud, who also won her first set, 7-5, defeated Nalborska in set two, 6-2, to clinch the match and send the Yellow Jackets into the quarter finals to face Duke.
The Yellow Jackets advance to play the #3 seed Duke tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Cary, N.C. in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Tennis Match Results
NC State vs Georgia Tech
Apr 23, 2015 at Cary, N.C.
(Cary Tennis Park)
#25 Georgia Tech 4, NC State 0
Singles competition
- #102 Johnnise Renaud (GT) def. Joanna Nalborska (NCST) 7-5, 6-2
- #53 Paige Hourigan (GT) def. Liza Fieldsend (NCST) 6-3, 6-4
- Kendal Woodard (GT) vs. Nicole Martinez (NCST) 6-3, 6-5, unfinished
- Rasheeda McAdoo (GT) vs. Elisha Hande (NCST) 7-5, 3-1, unfinished
- Megan Kurey (GT) def. Sophie Nelson (NCST) 7-5, 6-1
- Alexis Prokopuik (GT) vs. Tayla Stenta (NCST) 5-7, 1-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
- #16 Paige Hourigan/Kendal Woodard (GT) def. Joanna Nalborska/Natalia Janowicz (NCST) 8-3
- Elisha Hande/Nicole Martinez (NCST) def. Megan Kurey/Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer (GT) 8-5
- Rasheeda McAdoo/Johnnise Renaud (GT) def. Liza Fieldsend/Sophie Nelson (NCST) 8-7 (7-2)
Match Notes:
NC State 11-16, 1-13 ACC
Georgia Tech 14-8, 9-5 ACC; National ranking #25
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,5,1)
–TogetherWeSwarm–
