March 30, 2013
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team held off the Boston College Eagles 4-3 Saturday afternoon at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta.
The win improves the Yellow Jackets, ranked No. 33, to 8-6 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, while the loss drops BC to 7-4 overall and 1-3 in the league.
“We play in a very tough conference, the ACC is a hard place to play, so any time you win, you’re happy,” head coach Rodney Harmon said. “We played against an opponent that played very well and competed hard at every line. They have a good team. It was a battle. We were fortunate we played well in doubles. We played well enough. I wish we had played better and had carried on the momentum from the Northwestern win. We were fortunate to get a win and we’ll be sharper because of it. We’ll be aware that every team in the ACC can play.”
The Yellow Jackets got off to a fast start as Elizabeth Kilborn and Muriel Wacker rolled to an 8-0 win over BC’s Katya Vasilyev and Ina Kauppila on court three.
Doubles matches at the number one and two spots were a tougher draw for Tech. Natasha Prokhnevska hit a winner down the line to give her and Jasmine Minor an 8-4 win on court two, clinching the doubles point for the Jackets. Good hands play from Kendal Woodard at the net shortly after gave Woodard and Megan Kurey a 9-7 win over the Eagles’ Alex Kelleher and Jessica Wacnik on court one.
It is the third time this season Georgia Tech has swept the doubles point. The win by Woodard and Kurey improved the freshman pair to 16-5 overall, 12-2 in dual matches and 6-2 at the top of the Tech doubles lineup.
Wacker put Tech up 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Olga Khmylev on court five. BC quickly followed that with a 6-1, 6-1 win by Katya Vasilyev over Minor on court six.
Woodard earned her team-best 16th singles win of the year with a 6-4, 7-6 win at No. 2 singles over the Eagles’ Alex Kelleher. Boston College pulled within 3-2 when Heini Salonen downed Tech’s Kurey 7-5, 6-1 on court four.
Kilborn, the senior captain, clinched the Yellow Jacket victory on court one with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 win over Jessica Wacnik. It is the second match Kilborn has clinched this year for the Jackets as the Marietta native also clinched the 4-3 comeback win over No. 16 Florida State.
“That’s where you’re fortunate having a senior captain playing No. 1 for you; she saw that things weren’t going as well as we wanted,” Harmon said. “At one stage, we were up on five courts. Then Boston College starts playing some really good tennis, they have really good players on their team. Liz didn’t play a great second set, but her opponent hit some great shots. She was down 2-0 in the third set, then buckled down and won 6-2. She played some beautiful tennis for six games in a row in the third. She knew we needed it to close and that was the point we needed to secure the victory.”
The Eagles added another point when Kelly Barry downed Prokhnevska 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 on court three to make the final score 4-3.
The Yellow Jackets finish their eight match homestand when Tech hosts the Maryland Terrapins at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
Fans are encouraged to follow Georgia Tech women’s tennis on Twitter, @GT_WTEN, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, GTWomensTennis, for an inside look at the program.
Boston College vs Georgia Tech
Mar 30, 2013 at Atlanta, Ga.
(Ken Byers Tennis Complex)
#33 Georgia Tech 4, Boston College 3
Singles competition
1. #89 Elizabeth Kilborn (GT) def. Jessica Wacnik (BC) 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
2. Kendal Woodard (GT) def. Alex Kelleher (BC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Kelly Barry (BC) def. Natasha Prokhnevska (GT) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
4. Heini Salonen (BC) def. Megan Kurey (GT) 7-5, 6-1
5. Muriel Wacker (GT) def. Olga Khmylev (BC) 6-3, 6-2
6. Katya Vasilyev (BC) def. Jasmine Minor (GT) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #67 Kendal Woodard/Megan Kurey (GT) def. Alex Kelleher/Jessica Wacnik (BC) 9-7
2. Natasha Prokhnevska/Jasmine Minor (GT) def. Olga Khmylev/Heini Salonen (BC) 8-4
3. Elizabeth Kilborn/Muriel Wacker (GT) def. Katya Vasilyev/Ina Kauppila (BC) 8-0
Match Notes:
Boston College 7-4, 1-3 ACC
Georgia Tech 8-6, 2-2 ACC; National ranking #33
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,6,2,4,1,3)
–RamblinWreck.com–
