Nov. 10, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Georgia Tech’s women’s tennis team began their final fall tournament in fine fashion Friday, winning all five singles matches and five of six doubles matches on day one of the third-annual Kitty Harrison Invitational, which is being hosted by the University of North Carolina Friday through Sunday.
Second-seeded Kirsten Flower and fifth-seeded Alison Silverio both won their first round Blue Draw matches in straight sets, with Flower defeating Kansas’ Kuni Dorn, 6-3, 6-4, while Silverio secured a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Davidson’s Michele Fanney.
Joining Flower and Silverio with straight-set singles victories in the 32-player Blue Draw were Tarryn Rudman, who dropped Kentucky’s Jessica Giuggioli, 6-1, 6-0, and Amanda Craddock, who stopped the Wildcats’ 108th-ranked Joelle Schwenk, 6-4, 6-1.
Amanda Craddock continued her excellent fall play by eliminating the Blue Draw’s No. 4 seed, Katrina Tsang of William & Mary, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 12-10.
Both of the Jackets’ Carolina Singles Draw competitors, top-seeded Christy Striplin and second-seeded Whitney McCray, earned byes in the first round and will begin singles action Saturday.
In doubles play, the Georgia Tech tandem of McDowell and Striplin, who were seeded second in the eight-team Carolina Draw, and the duo of Flower and Rudman, who were seeded second in the eight-team White Draw, earned a pair of victories on the day to advance to Saturday’s final.
McDowell and Striplin dispatched UNCG’s Courtney Akel and Whitney Miles, 8-1, before fighting through a 9-8 (1) win over third-seeded Tsang and Laura Reichert (UNC) while Flower and Rudman battled for an 8-6 win over Lynzee Kever and Jeanne Schwartz of Marshall before defeating Kentucky’s team of Giuggioli and Caroline Winebrenner, 8-4.
Rounding out the Yellow Jackets’ play on the first day was the doubles team of Craddock and McCray, who posted an 8-6 win over UNCG’s Arielle Vonstrolley and Erica Zabkar before dropping an 8-3 match to the Tar Heels’ Caitlin Collins and Sanaz Marand.
Georgia Tech will continue play in the Kitty Harrison Invitational Saturday. Match play begins at 8:30 a.m. on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
Georgia Tech Singles Results
Blue Draw
(R32) (74) Tarryn Rudman (GT) def. Jessica Giuggioli (Kentucky), 6-1, 6-0
(R32) Amanda McDowell (GT) def. No. 4 Katrina Tsang (W&M), 7-6 (6), 3-6, 12-10
(R32) Amanda Craddock (GT) def. (108) Joelle Schwenk (Kentucky), 6-4, 6-1
(R32) No. 5 (54) Alison Silverio (GT) def. Michele Fanney (Davidson), 6-2, 6-2
(R32) No. 2 Kirsten Flower (GT) def. Kuni Dorn (Kansas), 6-3, 6-4
Carolina Draw
(R32) No. 1 Christy Striplin advanced via bye
(R32) No. 2 Whitney McCray advanced via bye
Blue Draw
(QF) No. 2 Craddock/McCray (GT) def. Arielle Vonstrolley/Erica Zabkar (UNCG), 8-6
(SF) No. 3 Caitlin Collins/Sanaz Marand (UNC) def. No. 2 Craddock/McCray (GT), 8-3
Carolina Draw
(QF) No. 2 McDowell/Striplin (GT) def. Courtney Akel/Whitney Miles (UNCG), 8-1
(SF) No. 2 McDowell/Striplin (GT) def. No. 3 Laura Reichert(UNC)/Katrina Tsang (W&M), 9-8 (1)
White Doubles
(QF) No. 2 Flower/Rudman (GT) def. Lynzee Kever/Jeanne Schwartz (Marshall), 8-6
(SF) No. 2 Flower/Rudman (GT) def. Giuggioli/Caroline Winebrenner (Kentucky), 8-4
