March 17, 2012
Tallahassee, Fla. – The 25th-ranked Georgia Tech women’s tennis team (7-6) evened its ACC record at 1-1 with a 5-2 win at No. 39 Florida State (6-6, 0-3 ACC) Saturday afternoon at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center in Tallahassee, Fla.
The win was the Yellow Jackets second straight win, both of which have come on the road.
“It was a great win on the road,” assistant coach Alison Silverio said. “The ACC is one of the toughest conferences in the country in women’s tennis. To get the win on the road is exciting, and two in a row is nice. Overall, we definitely didn’t play our best or prettiest tennis, but to get a win like this when we’re not playing our best lets us know we’re out-competing teams. We’ve been talking about that and working on it in practice. It was great to see our team step up as a team together and take ownership of competing. Today was as much about our hustle, grit and heart. It was a team effort and we’re starting to build confidence. Now we have to get ready to play Miami on Wednesday.”
Tech’s top doubles team, ninth-ranked Jillian O’Neill and Alex Anghelescu, gave Tech an early advantage by defeating Ruth Seaborne and Carolina De los Santos 8-4 on court one. The Jackets claimed the first point when Lynn Blau and Elizabeth Kilborn battled to a 9-8 win over Amy Sargeant and Mia Vriens on court two.
“Winning the doubles point is always huge,” Silverio added. “It’s only one point, but it’s an important point. It sets up the momentum for the match. We went out with the goal of winning the doubles point and getting a point on the board. We went into singles with the mentality that we’re going to press on the gas and not back down. We had to be ready to step up and compete with FSU. They’re a great team and they’re known for being a feisty and gritty team.”
Kilborn, ranked No. 86, started off singles play with a bang for Tech, earning a decisive 6-2, 6-1 win over Vriens on court two. O’Neill, ranked No. 22, quickly followed that with a 6-2, 6-4 victory on court one over the Seminoles’ Leyla Erkan to put the Yellow Jackets within a point of the team win.
The Noles got on the board when De los Santos defeated Blau, 6-3, 6-3, on court five. Tech senior Viet Ha Ngo clinched the Yellow Jacket victory with a 6-2, 6-3 win on court three. Freshman Jasmine Minor added another point for Georgia Tech on court four. Minor won the first set 7-6 and was leading Seaborne 4-2 when the FSU sophomore retired. Florida State added a second point when Sargeant downed the Jackets’ Muriel Wacker 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Liz was the catalyst for our match today,” Silverio said. “She stepped up in a big way against a very solid player from Florida State. Liz stayed on her, got another point for us and Jillian followed suit soon after and then Christina clinched. It was great to see two seniors and a junior step up in that way and show leadership not only through words but through their actions as well. It’s very important for them but it also gives confidence to our team as a whole to know we’re strong in those areas.”
The Yellow Jackets will continue their road trip when they take on 12th-ranked Miami Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Coral Gables, Fla.
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
#25 Georgia Tech at #39 Florida State
March 17, 2012
#25 Georgia Tech 5, #39 Florida State 2
Doubles (Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3)
1. #9 Jillian O’Neill / Alex Anghelescu (GT) def. Ruth Seaborne / Carolina De los Santos (FSU), 8-4
2. Lynn Blau / Elizabeth Kilborn (GT) def. Amy Sargeant / Mia Vriens (FSU), 9-8
3. Leyla Erkan / Francesca Segarelli (FSU) def. Viet Ha Ngo / Muriel Wacker (GT), 9-8
Singles (Order of Finish: (2, 1, 5, 3, 4, 6)
1. #22 Jillian O’Neill (GT) def. Leyla Erkan (FSU), 6-2, 6-4
2. #86 Elizabeth Kilborn (GT) def. Mia Vriens (FSU), 6-2, 6-1
3. Viet Ha Ngo (GT) def. Francesca Segarelli (FSU), 6-2, 6-3
4. Jasmine Minor (GT) def. Ruth Seaborne (FSU), 7-6, 4-2, ret.
5. Carolina De los Santos (FSU) def. Lynn Blau (GT), 6-3, 6-3
6. Amy Sargeant (FSU) def. Muriel Wacker (GT), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Match Notes:
Georgia Tech 7-6, 1-1 ACC, national ranking #25
Florida State 6-6, 0-3 ACC, national ranking #39
— RamblinWreck.com —
