May 14, 2005
ATLANTA – Freshman Kristi Miller won at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles as Georgia Tech blanked Pepperdine, 4-0, in the second round of the NCAA Atlanta Regional to earn a berth in the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
Tech, the No. 6 national seed, improved its record to 21-3. The Yellow Jackets are scheduled to play Thursday at 3 p.m. in Athens, Ga., No. 11 seed Texas, which won the NCAA Austin Regional. Pepperdine finished the season at 15-9.
“I’m really proud of this team,” said Tech head coach Bryan Shelton. “It’s been a great season, and they just want to keep going. We’re really looking forward to next week and the opportunity that we have.
“The girls played well and it was a convincing win, which feels good. We took care of the doubles point, and then we got off to a good start in the singles and were able to close the door at the end.”
The Jackets captured the doubles point, and then got singles wins from Miller and Alison Silverio before junior Lyndsay Shosho clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Merve Asimgil at No. 5 singles.
Miller, the nation’s 12th-ranked individual, defeated Caroline Raba at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-1, for Tech’s first singles point. The freshman from Marysville, Mich., gave up a service break early in the match before winning seven consecutive games and 11 of the last 12 en route to the straight set victory. She won her 40th match of the season, a Tech season record.
“It definitely adds a lot to our team to have a No. 1 player like Kristi who can be so dominant,” said Shelton. “She not only wins, but she wins convincingly, and she’s such a great competitor. But I can say that all the way down the line. Everyone contributed, and it was just a great team effort.”
Silverio quickly followed with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles, downing Merve Asimgil to extend Tech’s lead to 3-0 before Shosho finished the shutout.
Miller and Silverio clinched the doubles point for Tech with an 8-3 victory over Dickes and Bianca Dulgheru at the No. 1 flight.
Pepperdine’s only win of the day was at No. 2 doubles, where Sylvia Kosakowski and Lise Sissler defeated Shosho and Dasha Potapova, 8-3. Tech’s Whitney McCray and Kelly Anderson answered with an 8-4 win over Asimgil and Vanessa Dunlap at No. 3 singles to set up the deciding match at No. 1 doubles.
“To reach the Sweet 16, that is something that has never been done in Tech history, so it is just an amazing feeling,” said Silverio. “We’re just going to keep working and be determined to go as far as we can because our team has a lot of confidence right now. I know, and my teammates and coaches know, that we can go as far as we set our minds to.”
NCAA Atlanta Regional, Round 2
Pepperdine vs Georgia Tech
May 14, 2005 at Atlanta, Ga.
Georgia Tech 4, Pepperdine 0
Singles competition:
1. Kristi Miller (GT) def. Caroline Raba (PU) 6-2, 6-1
2. Bianca Dulgheru (PU) vs. Dasha Potapova (GT) DNF
3. Sylvia Kosakowski (PU) vs. Kelly Anderson (GT) DNF
4. Alison Silverio (GT) def. Eva Dickes (PU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Lyndsay Shosho (GT) def. Merve Asimgil (PU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Kacie Anson (GT) vs. Lise Sissler (PU) DNF
Doubles competition:
1. Kristi Miller/Alison Silverio (GT) def. Bianca Dulgheru/Eva Dickes (PU) 8-3
2. Sylvia Kosakowski/Lise Sissler (PU) def. Dasha Potapova/Lyndsay Shosho (GT) 8-3
3. Whitney McCray/Kelly Anderson (GT) def. Merve Asimgil/Vanessa Dunlap (PU) 8-4
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,4,5)
