EVANSTON, Ill. – Georgia Tech rebounded from dropping the doubles point to win four singles matches and clinch a 4-2 victory at Northwestern on Sunday at the Combe Tennis Center. The win moved Tech to 10-5 overall.
DOUBLES ACTION: Northwestern got on the scoreboard first snagging the doubles point with 6-4 wins on courts two and three. The Wildcats took the first match to finish on court two as Nami Otsuka and Gia Cohen stood tied at 4-4 with Caroline Pozo and Hannah McColgan. Northwestern won the next two games to take the match, 6-4, forcing all eyes to turn to courts one and three.
The point was clinched on court three as Christina Hand and Clarissa Hand topped Sophia Sassoli and Monika Dedaj. Northwestern opened with a 3-1 lead before the Jackets pulled back within 4-3, but the Wildcats took a 5-4 advantage and clinched the point with a 6-4 win. Court one between No. 37 Kenya Jones and Victoria Flores and Julie Byrne and Inci Ogut went unfinished once the point was clinched. Tech led 4-1 in the match before Northwestern rallied to win the next four games to take a 5-4 lead. The Jackets tied it at 5-5 and the match was suspended with Northwestern leading 6-5.
SINGLES ACTION: Georgia Tech quickly grabbed its first lead winning on the top two singles courts. No. 60 Jones evened the score for Tech, downing No. 63 Byrne at the top seed, 7-5, 6-1, before No. 49 Flores pocketed a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Ogut on court two, for a 2-1 Tech lead.
Northwestern rallied to tie the match at 2-all with a straight-set win on court six, but the Yellow Jackets fought back and won the next two matches in three sets to clinch the win. Playing on court three, No. 93 Cohen returned the advantage to Tech, collecting a three-set battle over Clarissa Hand. Tied at 5-5 in the first set, Cohen won the next two games to win, 7-5, but Hand forced a deciding third set, taking the second, 6-3. Cohen cruised to a 6-1 third set win to give a 3-2 lead to the Jackets.
Otsuka clinched the match from court four where the junior downed Pozo in three sets. The Jacket took the first set, 6-4, but Pozo came out with the lead in the second set and pocketed it, 6-2. Tied at 2-2 in the deciding third set, Otsuka won four of the next five points to clinch the match for the Jackets.
UP NEXT: Georgia Tech returns to league play and preps for a pair of ACC contests beginning with Virginia on Friday, Feb. 21. First serve at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex is slated for 4 p.m.
RESULTS
Doubles
1-No. 37 Kenya Jones/Victoria Flores (GT) vs. Julie Byrne/Inci Ogut (NU) 5-6, DNF
2-Caroline Pozo/Hannah McColgan (NU) def. Gia Cohen/Nami Otsuka (GT) 6-4
2-Christina Hand/Clarissa Hand (NU) def. Monika Dedaj/Sophia Sassoli (GT) 6-4
Order of finish: 2,3
Singles
1-No. 60 Kenya Jones (GT) def. No. 63 Julie Byrne (NU) 7-5, 6-1
2-No. 49 Victoria Flores (GT) def. Inci Ogut (NU) 6-2, 6-2
3-No. 93 Gia Cohen (GT) def. Clarissa Hand (NU) 7-5, 3-6, 6-
4-Nami Otsuka (GT) def. Caroline Pozo (NU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
5-Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) vs. Hannah McColgan (NU) 3-6, 7-5, 1-2, DNF
6-Christina Hand (NU) def. Monika Dedaj (GT) 6-3, 7-5
Order of finish: 1,2,6,3,4
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and Athletics Initiative 2020, Georgia Tech athletics’ ongoing $125 million initiative to allow Tech to recruit the nation’s most elite student-athletes, build a better student-athlete once they arrive on The Flats and, ultimately, win! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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