KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Georgia Tech women’s tennis got action started Friday morning at the Tennessee Fall Invitational, collecting six wins between doubles and singles play. The tournament is being played at the Barksdale Stadium at the University of Tennessee.
Doubles
Play began with three doubles teams representing Georgia Tech. Carrying momentum over from ITA Southeast Regionals, Kylie Bilchev and Alejandra Cruz picked up a hard-fought win over Florencia Urrutia and Lidia Gonzales (Kentucky). It all came down to a tiebreak in which the Jackets pulled out a 9-7 victory to claim the match, 8-7 (7). Mahak Jain and Ruth Marsh also proved victorious in doubles, pocketing an 8-5 triumph over Lizzie Stevens and Makayla Mills (Kentucky).
Singles
In singles action, Tech picked up four wins from Cruz, Bilchev, Rosie Garcia Gross and Ruth Marsh. Facing Maialen Morante (UK), Cruz fought off a 3-2 deficit in the first set to win the opener, 6-4. But the opponents battled back-and-forth in the second set, with Cruz winning 9-7 in a tiebreak.
Bilchev and Garcia Gross both picked up straight-set victories on Friday. Against Gonzales (UK), Bilchev took the first set, 6-4, and turned a 1-2 deficit in the second set into a 6-2 victory to clinch the match. Teammate Garcia Gross dropped only one game en route to a 6-1, 6-0 decision against Zoe Hammond (UK).
Rounding out singles play for the Jackets, Marsh split sets against Mills (UK), taking the first, 6-3, but dropping the second, 7-5, to force a super tiebreak. The Yellow Jacket held strong in the breaker, winning 11-9 to win the match.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. for its second session.
RESULTS
Doubles
Alejandra Cruz/Kylie Bilchev (GT) def. Florencia Urrutia/Lidia Gonzales (UK) 8-7 (9-7)
Ruth Marsh/Mahak Jain (GT) def. Lizzie Stevens/Makayla Mills (UK) 8-5
Ellie Eades/Zoe Hammond (UK) def. Rosie Garcia Gross/Monica Dedaj (GT) 8-4
Singles
Kylie Bilchev (GT) def. Lidia Gonzales (UK) 6-4, 6-2
Florencia Urrutia (UK) def. Mahak Jain (GT) 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (10-4)
Alejandra Cruz (GT) def. Maialen Morante (UK) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) def. Zoe Hammond (UK) 6-1, 6-0
Ruth Marsh (GT) def. Makayla Mills (UK) 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (11-9)
Competitive Drive Initiative
In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the A-T Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.
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