TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In a nearly four-hour battle that came down to the final match, Georgia Tech women’s tennis dropped a heartbreaker at Alabama, 4-3, on Tuesday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets rallied back from a 2-0 deficit, but could not pull out the road win, dropping to 5-4 on the season.
DOUBLES
Alabama squeaked out the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. The Crimson Tide gained the edge in doubles, winning the first match to finish on court three. Kate Sharabura and Taly Licht remained on serve with Maria Martinez Vaquero and Maria Andrienko through 4-4 before the Tide took a 5-4 advantage. But the Yellow Jackets rallied back and moved back on serve at 5-5. The rally was short-lived, however, as the Tide took the next two games for the match, 7-5.
Georgia Tech quickly evened the doubles field, claiming court one. Kylie Bilchev and Scarlett Nicholson battled Margaux Maquet and Petra Sedlackova in a back-and-forth match. On serve at 4-4, the Jackets held to take a 5-4 lead and sealed the win in the next service game, 6-4.
With the doubles matches split, all eyes turned to court two where Given Roach and Alejandra Cruz held a 4-3 lead over Klara Milicevic and Sara Nayar. The Jackets had a chance to extend their lead, but Alabama broke to move back on serve, 4-4. Milicevic and Nayar won the next two games to clinch the doubles point for Alabama, 6-4.
SINGLES
Alabama picked up a quick singles win on court six to push its lead to 2-0 before Tech got on the scoreboard. Sharabura claimed Tech’s first singles win of the afternoon on court three. The Jacket went back-and-forth against Milicevic in the first set to a 5-all standstill before taking the opener, 7-5. Sharabura cruised in the second set, 6-2, to cut Tech’s deficit to 2-1.
Nicholson tied the match up at 2-2 with a straight-set victory on court one. Facing Sedlackova, Nicholson pulled out the first set, 7-5, and carried momentum into the second set. The Jacket did not drop a game for a 6-0 second set, to even the match score.
Alabama regained the lead for a brief moment with a win on court five, but Cruz handled court two to tie the match back at 3-3. After securing the first set, 7-5, Cruz opened a comfortable lead in the second set, 5-1, and took the match, 7-5, 6-1.
All eyes turned to court four where Roach faced Vaquero. The Jacket took the first set, 7-6, but Vaquero claimed the second, 6-2, to force a deciding third set. Vaquero went up early with a 3-1 lead before Roach broke back at deuce for a 3-2 tally. Roach moved back on serve at 3-3, but couldn’t keep momentum going as Alabama won the next three games to take the match, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3, clinching the win for the Tide.
Georgia Tech returns to action and opens Atlantic Coast Conference play at Virginia Tech on Feb. 21. First serve is slated for 3 p.m.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Kylie Bilchev/Scarlett Nicholson (GT) def. Margaux Maquet/Petra Sedlackova (ALA) 6-4
2. Klara Milicevic/Sara Nayar (ALA) def. No. 74 Given Roach/Alejandra Cruz (GT) 6-4*
3. Maria Martinez Vaquero/Maria Andrienko (ALA) def. Kate Sharabura/Taly Licht (GT) 7-5
Order of finish: 3,1,2*
Singles
1. Scarlett Nicholson (GT) def. Petra Sedlackova (ALA) 7-5, 6-0
2. Alejandra Cruz (GT) def. Maria Andrienko (ALA) 7-5, 6-1
3. Kate Sharabura (GT) def. Klara Milicevic (ALA) 7-5, 6-2
4. Maria Martinez Vaquero (ALA) def. Given Roach (GT) 6-7, 6-2, 6-3*
5. Margaux Maquet (ALA) def. Taly Licht (GT) 6-4, 7-6
6. Sara Nayar (ALA) def. Meera Jesudason (ALA) 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: 6, 3, 1, 5, 2, 4*
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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