ATHENS, Ga. – Alejandra Cruz and Given Roach punched their ticket to the NCAA Doubles Championship, cruising to a straight-set win in the ITA Sectional Championship semifinals on Saturday. The pair will play for the sectionals title on Sunday.
Facing Vanderbilt’s Bridget Stammel and Valeria Ray, the first set stood tied at 2-2 before the Jackets won the next three games to gain a 5-2 lead. The Commodores held in the next game for a 5-3 tally, but the Jackets closed out the first set, 6-3.
Tech jumpstarted the second set, taking the first two games for a 2-0 lead, but Vanderbilt fought back to 2-all. The rally was short-lived, however, as Cruz and Roach captured the next four games to clinch the victory and a spot in the championship match on Sunday.
With the win, Cruz and Roach clinched a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championship to be played Nov. 19-24 at Baylor University. Three doubles teams from each sectional – champion, finalist and third place – secure automatic qualification in the NCAA Individuals.
Also competing in doubles, Kate Sharabura and Scarlett Nicholson claimed the consolation title with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 win over Tulane’s Micah Pierce and Summer Chandler. The Jackets quickly grabbed control of the match, opening the first set with a 4-1 lead before taking the set advantage, 6-3. The pair carried momentum into the second set, jumping out with a 3-1 edge before Pierce and Chandler crawled back to 3-all. But Sharabura and Nicholson won the next three games to seal the victory, 6-3, 6-3.
Sharabura also took the court in the consolation singles bracket, advancing to the title match with a 6-2, 7-5 decision over Talia Neilson-Gatenby of Florida. The senior Jacket handled the first set, but the opponents battled in the second set, remaining knotted at 5-all. Sharabura clinched the win, 7-5, to seal a spot in the final match.
Play concludes on Sunday with the finals of singles and doubles. Action begins at 10 a.m.
RESULTS
Doubles
D-SF: No. 88 Alejandra Cruz/Given Roach (GT) def. No. 64 Bridget Stammel/Valeria Ray (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-2
C-D-Final: Kate Sharabura/Scarlett Nicholson (GT) def. Micah Pierce/Summer Chandler (Tulane) 6-3, 6-3
C-S-SF: Kate Sharabura (GT) def. Talia Neilson-Gatenby (Florida) 6-2, 7-5
Sunday Schedule of Play
D – Final: No. 88 Alejandra Cruz/Given Roach (GT) vs. Guillermina Grant/Aysegul Mert (UGA)
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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