THE FLATS – Two members of the Georgia Tech women’s tennis team will continue NCAA competition this week as Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones will participate in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. Both will open singles play on Wednesday with doubles competition beginning Thursday. All matches will continue to be held at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
THE SCENE: The first round of singles play begins Wednesday at 8 a.m. No. 14 Hourigan, who earned an at-large bid, will open the tournament facing No. 51 Giulia Pairone of Arkansas at 10 a.m. Hourigan went 3-1 in Tech’s run to the NCAA Championship semifinals and carries a 22-12 record into singles play. Pairone went 15-7 overall and 13-5 in dual singles matches for Arkansas, leading the Razorbacks mainly from the No. 1 position.
No. 60 Jones, who entered the tournament as an alternate, will have a rematch against Vanderbilt’s No. 10 Fernanda Contreras at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two faced each other in the NCAA Championship semifinals on Monday with Contreras taking the match in straight sets. Jones put together an impressive season, posting a 26-9 overall singles mark and 20-6 dual mark in singles play. Second round action will take place on May 25.
Comprising the No. 1 doubles team in the country, Hourigan and Jones earned the ACC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Doubles Championships. The pair will open first round action on May 24 facing Denver’s 30th-ranked Bianca Mok and Julia O’Loughlin. The round of 16 will take place on May 25. The Jacket pair carries a 25-7 overall doubles mark into the tournament and went 18-5 in dual matches.
