Oct. 5, 2012
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team won six of 10 matches on day one of the 25th Roberta Alison Fall Classic hosted by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Friday.
Freshman Kendal Woodard went a combined 3-0 and improved to 4-1 in singles play for the fall. Woodard began the day with fellow freshman Megan Kurey in doubles play and the young duo grinded out a difficult 9-8(1) win over Michigan’s team of Ronit Yurovsky and Amy Zhu.
In singles play, Woodard claimed her third and fourth wins of the year when the rookie from Stockbridge, Ga., downed Kentucky’s Jessica Stiles, 6-2, 6-4, and battled past Alabama’s Emily Zabor 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
“Kendal is a freshman and this is her second fall tournament,” assistant coach Alison Silverio. “It was a great showing for Kendal. She went 3-0 for the day. She played doubles with Megan and won a tough match against a talented Michigan team. It was good to see them in that type of situation to come out with the `W’. She needs to know she can dig in, fight and battle when she needs to. Kendal needs to take from today that she has to be in every single point 100 percent, no games off, no points off, and completely turned on every shot she makes. When she does that, she’s one of the top players in college tennis.”
Sophomore Jasmine Minor earned a tough 7-6(3), 6-1 win over Mississippi State’s No. 122 Alexandra Perper in the first round of singles play. Freshman Megan Kurey, seeing her first action of the year, tallied a tough 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over Georgia State’s Masa Grgan.
Rookie Natasha Prokhnevska dropped her first match of the year, but bounced back and tallied a 6-1, 6-1 win over Vanderbilt’s Megan Gornet.
“We went in to the tournament with one big goal which was to focus and see progression,” Silverio said. “We need to build on every match; we need to get better every match. We have to be able to control what we can control, the energy, the way we compete, the hustle, all the controllables, improve on each match, and we achieved those today. We didn’t come out on top in every match, but our team put in 100 percent and battled. We brought a young foursome to this tournament, the way they represented Georgia Tech and supported each other, we definitely got stronger today.”
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.
Doubles:
Kendal Woodard / Megan Kurey (GT) def. Ronit Yurovsky / Amy Zhu (MICH), 9-8(1)
Ravita / Lewis (UK) def. Natasha Prokhnevska / Jasmine Minor (GT), 8-2
Singles:
Jasmine Minor (GT) def. Alexandra Perper (MSU), 7-6(3), 6-1
Kendal Woodard (GT) def. Jessica Stiles (UK), 6-2, 6-4
Megan Kurey (GT) def. Masa Grgan (GSU), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
Ashley Ktichens (AU) def. Natasha Prokhnevska (GT), 6-3, 6-2
Nadia Ravita (UK) def. Jasmine Minor (GT), 6-2, 6-1
Kendal Woodard (GT) def. Emily Zabor (UA), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Naomi Tran (MSU) def. Megan Kurey (GT), 7-5, 6-4
Natasha Prokhnevsak (GT) def. Megan Gornet (VU), 6-1, 6-1
–RamblinWreck.com–
