April 24, 2005
CARY, NC – Tournament MVP Alison Silverio came back after dropping her first set to win at No. 4 singles and lift sixth-ranked Georgia Tech (19-3) to a 4-3 victory over No. 12 Miami Sunday in the finals of the ACC Championship.
It marks the first ACC Championship ever in Georgia Tech tennis history.
“I think it’s so hard to win an ACC Title and it’s hard enough to get into the finals, much less complete the task by winning the tournament,” said Georgia Tech head coach Bryan Shelton. “In 1988, we [the men’s team] came so close, just one match away from winning. Kenny [Thorne, head coach for Georgia Tech men’s tennis] and I were out there in the end and couldn’t quite get it done, so it has been a long time coming to have this opportunity again. It doesn’t feel much different, being a coach or player, as it is just as satisfying to win now as a coach. The girls on the court are the ones that got it done though, they deserve all of the credit.”
In the tournament, the Yellow Jackets went 11-4 in singles matches, including a perfect 3-0 mark by Silverio. She also teamed with Kristi Miller to clinch the doubles point against the Hurricanes earlier in the day.
The Yellow Jackets carried a 1-0 lead into singles play by earning wins at the Nos. 1 and 3 doubles positions. After the Hurricane duo of Megan Bradley and Staci Stevens defeated Lyndsay Shosho and Dasha Potapova, 8-5, at the No. 2 slot, the Yellow Jacket duo of Whitney McCray and Kelly Anderson downed Patricia Starzyk and Caren Seenauth, 8-5 at No. 3, setting up the top doubles slot for the clinching point.
No. 18 Miller and Silverio then stopped a comeback by Audrey Banada and Melissa Applebaum to clinch the doubles point for the Yellow Jackets with a 9-7 score at the No. 1 position.
Banada tied the match at 1-1 when she defeated Shosho, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 5 singles position, and Miami took a 2-1 lead in the match when No. 99 Emily Mowery downed Tech’s Kacie Anson, 6-2, 6-0, at the No. 6 position.
After Miami went up 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-4 win by the nation’s top-ranked Bradley at No. 1 singles, the Yellow Jackets battled back with wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 positions.
At No. 2, Potapova battled the Hurricane’s Stevens, winning 6-2, 7-5, and the Jackets’ Anderson came back after winning a tiebreaker in the first set to defeat Applebaum, 7-6 (6), 6-1.
Silverio then came back to win her second set 6-4 after dropping the first by a 5-7 mark and then breezed through the final set, 6-2 against Starzyk, to give the Yellow Jackets their first ACC Championship.
“For Alison to step up in the end was awesome,” said Shelton. “You can coach all you want, but she has to have the discipline and the courage to get it done. It was a team effort today, and I am just so proud of them.”
The Yellow Jackets now await word on NCAA Selections, which will be announced in the afternoon on Wednesday May 4th.
Tennis Match Results
Miami vs Georgia Tech
Apr 24, 2005 at Cary, NC
#6 Georgia Tech 4, #12 Miami 3
Singles competition:
1. #1 Megan Bradley (UM) def. #19 Kristi Miller (GT) 6-3, 6-4
2. Dasha Potapova (GT) def. Staci Stevens (UM) 6-2, 7-5
3. Kelly Anderson (GT) def. Melissa Applebaum (UM) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1
4. Alison Silverio (GT) def. Patricia Starzyk (UM) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
5. Audrey Banada (UM) def. Lyndsay Shosho (GT) 6-1, 6-1
6. #99 Emily Mowery (UM) def. Kacie Anson (GT) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles competition:
1. #18 Miller/ Silverio (GT) def. #48 Banada/ Applebaum (UM) 9-7
2. Bradley/ Stevens (UM) def. Potapova/ Shosho (GT) 8-2
3. Whitney McCray/ Anderson (GT) def. Starzyk/Caren Seenauth (UM) 8-5
Match Notes:
Miami 20-4; National ranking #12
Georgia Tech 19-3; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,6,1,2,3,4)
Georgia Tech wins the 2005 Women’s ACC Championship
