March 7, 2012
Atlanta – The No. 19-ranked Georgia Tech women’s tennis team (5-6) dropped a hard-fought 4-3 match to the No. 26-ranked Clemson Tigers (8-5) in the Yellow Jackets’ ACC-opening match Wednesday afternoon at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
“Clemson played a good match today,” head coach Bryan Shelton said. “Unfortunately, we helped them with a lot of mistakes on our end. We need to clean it up before we go on to Auburn next week.”
Clemson grabbed an early advantage when the 20th-ranked doubles team of Josipa Bek and Keri Wong – the 2011 national runners-up – defeated Tech’s eighth-ranked pair of Jillian O’Neill and Alex Anghelescu 8-3.
The Yellow Jackets began their rally to win the doubles point with an 8-4 win by Viet Ha Ngo and Muriel Wacker over Romy Kölzer and Beatrice Gumulya on court three. Tech capped the rally and claimed the first point of the day when Lynn Blau and Elizabeth Kilborn topped Klara Vyskocilova and Monika Kochanova 8-5 on court two. Blau and Kilborn improved to 10-3 on the season with the win.
O’Neill, ranked No. 19 in singles play, cruised past Bek 6-3, 6-2 on court one to put Georgia Tech up 2-0. Bek began the fall ranked No. 8, but dropped out of the rankings having only played 10 matches. Clemson got on the board when 90th-ranked Vyskocilova downed Blau, 6-4, 6-3, on court five.
Anghelescu extended the Jackets’ lead to 3-1 with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kölzer on court six. Unfortunately for Tech, that would be the last point the Jackets would get.
Gumulya pulled the Tigers within one team point with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Ngo on court four followed by a 7-6, 6-2 win by No. 103 Nelly Ciolkowski over 79th-ranked Caroline Lilley on court three. Wong, ranked No. 76 in singles play, defeated Kilborn, ranked No. 81, 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-0 on court two to clinch the Clemson victory.
The Yellow Jackets will now begin a five-match road trip, beginning with a contest at the No. 75 Auburn Tigers next Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET. Tech is back in action at home when it hosts No. 13 North Carolina at 2:30 on March 30.
Fans are encouraged to follow Georgia Tech women’s tennis on Twitter, @GT_WTEN, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, GTWomensTennis, for an inside look at the program.
Match Results
#26 Clemson at #19 Georgia Tech
March 6, 2012 in Atlanta, Ga.
#26 Clemson 4, #19 Georgia Tech 3
Doubles (Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2)
1. #20 Josipa Bek / Keri Wong (CU) def. #8 Alex Anghelescu / Jillian O’Neill (GT), 8-3
2. Lynn Blau / Elizabeth Kilborn (GT) def. Klara Vyskocilova / Monika Kochanova (CU), 8-5
3. Viet Ha Ngo / Muriel Wacker (GT) def. Romy Kölzer / Beatrice Gumulya (CU), 8-4
Singles (Order of Finish: (1, 5, 6, 4, 3, 2)
1. #19 Jillian O’Neill (GT) def. Josipa Bek (CU), 6-3, 6-2
2. #76 Keri Wong (CU) def. #81 Elizabeth Kilborn (GT), 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-0
3. #103 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. #79 Caroline Lilley (GT), 7-6, 6-2
4. Beatrice Gumulya (CU) def. Viet Ha Ngo (GT), 6-3, 7-5
5. #90 Klara Vyskocilova (CU) def. Lynn Blau (GT), 6-4, 6-3
6. Alex Anghelescu (GT) def. Romy Kölzer (CU), 6-4, 6-3
Match Notes:
Georgia Tech 5-6, national ranking #19
Clemson 8-5, national ranking #26
— RamblinWreck.com —
