CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Competing for a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, Georgia Tech women’s tennis could not overcome No. 11 Virginia in the ITA Kickoff Weekend championship match, dropping a 4-0 decision on Saturday afternoon.
Doubles
It was a doubles point that came down to the final court as Virginia (6-0) took court two, 6-1, but the Yellow Jackets (1-2) evened the field with a victory at the top position. Competing on court one, Carol Lee and Kate Sharabura pocketed a 6-4 win over Melodie Collard and Elaine Chervinsky to force the point to come down to court three. Knotted at 3-all, Lee and Sharabura won the next two games to take a 5-3 advantage. Virginia held in the next game for a 5-4 tally, but Lee served out the win, 6-4.
All eyes turned to court three where Given Roach and Scarlett Nicholson held a 4-2 lead over Annabelle Xu and Sara Ziodato. But the Cavaliers won four straight games to clinch the doubles point with a 6-4 win.
Singles
Virginia won five first sets to take the lead in singles play, and grabbed a 2-0 advantage when Chervinsky topped Mahak Jain in straight-sets on court five, 6-1, 6-3. The Cavaliers cushioned their lead with a win on two as Hibah Shaikh defeated Kylie Bilchev, 6-0, 6-2, and clinched the match when Sara Ziodato edged Roach on court four, 6-2, 6-2.
Play was suspended after Virginia clinched the match. On court one, Lee was battling Annabelle Xu in the second set. After dropping the first, 6-4, Lee held a 3-1 lead over Xu in the second set, while Cruz was taking the lead in the second over Natasha Subhash, 2-6, 4-3. In the final match, Nicholson was the only Jacket to win a first set, taking the opener, 6-4, against Melodie Collard. She trailed in the second set, 4-0.
Georgia Tech returns to action in its home-opener on Tuesday, Jan. 30, welcoming Georgia State. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
RESULTS
Doubles
1.Carol Lee/Kate Sharabura (GT) def. Melodie Collard/Elaine Chervinsky (UVA) 6-4
2. No. 48 Natasha Subhash/Hibah Shaikh (UVA) def. Kylie Bilchev/Alejandra Cruz (GT) 6-1
3. Annabelle Xu/Sara Ziodato (UVA) def. Given Roach/Scarlett Nicholson (GT) 6-4
Order of finish: 2,1,3*
*Clinched
Singles
1.No. 107 Carol Lee (GT) vs. No. 86 Annabelle Xu (UVA) 4-6, 3-1, DNF
2. No. 46 Hibah Shaikh (UVA) def. No. 123 Kylie Bilchev (GT) 6-0, 6-2
3. Alejandra Cruz (GT) vs. Natasha Subhash (UVA) 2-6, 4-3, DNF
4. No. 88 Sara Ziodato (UVA) def. Given Roach (GT) 6-2, 6-2
5. Elaine Chervinsky (UVA) def. Mahak Jain (GT) 6-1, 6-3
6. Scarlett Nicholson (GT) vs. No. 82 Melodie Collard (UVA) 6-4, 0-4, DNF
Order of finish: 5,2,4*
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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