NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Georgia Tech women’s tennis gained the lead in singles action, but couldn’t hold on, dropping a hard-fought 4-2 decision at Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets moved to 12-9 overall and 6-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
DOUBLES
Notre Dame took a pair of doubles wins to gain the early match lead on Sunday. The Fighting Irish picked up a 6-4 win on court two as Rylie Hanford and Nibi Ghosh defeated Alejandra Cruz and Given Roach to give Notre Dame the edge in doubles. The point was clinched from the top position where Scarlett Nicholson and Kylie Bilchev battled to the final point against Carrie Beckman and Akarai Matsuno, but fell, 7-5.
Kate Sharabura and Meera Jesudason collected Tech’s only doubles win of the day after the point was clinched. Facing Bianca Molnar and Bojana Pozder, the opponents worked to a 6-all standstill, forcing a tiebreak to decide the match. The Jackets broke a 6-6 standstill in the tiebreaker, winning the next two points to take the match, 7-6 (8-6).
SINGLES
Georgia Tech rallied back in singles action, winning the first two matches to finish to gain the slight lead. Nicholson tied the match at 1-1, collecting a straight-set decision on court one over Matsuno. The Jacket gained control quickly in the opening set, 6-2, and pocketed the win, 6-2, 6-2, to put the Yellow Jackets on the scoreboard.
Competing on court six, Bilchev handed Tech its only lead of the match as the senior downed Maria Olivia Castedo in a pair of sets. After a back-and-forth battle in the first set, Bilchev gained the set lead, 6-4, and made quick work in the second set, not dropping a game for a 6-0 sweep. The win gave the Jackets a 2-1 match lead.
But the lead was short-lived as Notre Dame won the next three matches to clinch the victory, 4-2. Taly Licht forced a deciding third set against Hanford on court five, rebounding from dropping the first set, but could not pull out the win, falling, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, tying the match at 2-2. The Fighting Irish regained the permanent lead when Ghosh topped Sharabura on court three, 7-5, 7-6 (6) and clinched the win from court four. Georgia Tech’s Roach took set two against Pozder to force a third as the foes tossed games back-and-forth to a 6-6 standstill. In the tiebreaker, Pozder and Roach continued to battle with ND pulling out the narrow win, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (8-6).
Georgia Tech returns to Atlanta to welcome SMU in its final regular season match on Sunday, April 13. First serve at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex is slated for 12 p.m.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Carrie Beckman/Akari Matsuno (ND) def. Scarlett Nicholson/Kylie Bilchev (GT) 7-5*
2. Rylie Hanford/Nibi Ghosh (ND) def. No. 57 Alejandra Cruz/Given Roach (GT) 6-4
3. Meera Jesudason/Kate Sharabura (GT) def. Bianca Molnar/Bojana Pozder (ND) 7-6 (8-6)
Order of finish: 2,1*,3
Singles
1. No. 36 Scarlett Nicholson (GT) def. No. 79 Akari Matsuno (ND) 6-2, 6-2
2. Bianca Molnar (ND) def. No. 104 Alejandra Cruz (GT) 6-2, 2-6, 6-6, DNF
3. Nibi Ghosh (ND) def. Kate Sharabura (GT) 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)
4. Bojana Pozder (ND) def. Given Roach (GT) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (8-6) *
5. Rylie Hanford (ND) def. Taly Licht (GT) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
6. Kylie Bilchev (GT) def. Maria Olivia Castedo (ND) 6-4, 6-0
Order of finish: 1,6,5,3,4*
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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