April 22, 2007
CARY, NC –
Christy Striplin won 12 of her last 13 games en route to a 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 5 singles to clinch match point as the fifth-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (23-4) captured their third-straight ACC Women’s Tennis Championship with a 4-1 win over No. 11 Miami (19-6) in the title match Sunday afternoon at the Cary Tennis Complex.
With the victory, the women’s tennis team earned Georgia Tech’s first ACC Championship of the season.
“It never gets old,” said an elated Bryan Shelton, head coach of the three-time ACC Champion women’s tennis team.
For the third-straight day, the Yellow Jackets were led by freshman Amanda Craddock, who ended the tournament with a 3-0 record in singles and a 2-0 mark in doubles to earn MVP honors. Craddock posted a 6-3, 6-2 win over Miami’s 50th-ranked Audrey Banada to tie the match at 1-1 after the Hurricanes won the doubles point to start the day.
“A.C. is well deserving (of MVP honors) after her play this weekend,” said Shelton. “Not only did she win, but she won convincingly in all of her matches. She was the catalyst for this team all weekend, and the honor is just a tribute to what she’s done all season. She has gotten better and better as the season has gone on.”
Freshman Amanda McDowell gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 lead with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Romy Farah at the No. 4 singles spot before Tech’s eighth-ranked Kristi Miller stunned top-ranked Audra Cohen, 7-5, 6-2, at the top singles spot to push the score to 3-1. It was the second time in as many ACC Championship matches that Miller has bested Cohen.
“Kristi’s win was huge,” said Shelton. “Last year she got over the hump, beating Audra at ACC’s, and she made shockwaves throughout the rankings. I think the same happened again today. She fell behind early (to Cohen), but got gritty and stuck in there. Once (Miller) got on top, she didn’t relinquish the lead. I’m so proud of her effort, especially after losing doubles. She came back strong to lead this team to victory.”
Miami began singles play with a 1-0 lead after winning at the Nos. 1 and 3 doubles positions. Banada and Gina Sabatino stopped the Yellow Jacket tandem of Tarryn Rudman and Kirsten Flower, 8-3, at the third doubles spot before Tech’s 51st-ranked duo of Alison Silverio and Craddock handed Caren Seenauth and Farah an 8-6 loss at the second doubles position, setting up the top doubles line as the deciding match.
Miami’s 33rd-ranked Cohen and Laura Vallverdu then outlasted Miller and Whitney McCray, the nation’s third-ranked doubles team, 8-6, to give the Hurricanes the first point of the match.
Georgia Tech will have to wait until May 1 to find out who it meets in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships. The announcement will be made on ESPNews on May 1 between 2:30 and 3 p.m., with the Yellow Jackets, who earned an automatic bid with their victory Sunday, looking to host the first two rounds at the Bill Moore Tennis Center on the Georgia Tech campus.
Tennis Match ResultsMiami vs Georgia TechApr 22, 2007 at Cary, NC
#5 Georgia Tech 4, #11 Miami 1
Singles competition1. #8 Kristi Miller (GT) def. #1 Audra Cohen (UM) 7-5, 6-22. #87 Alison Silverio (GT) vs. #20 Laura Vallverdu (UM) 6-1, 3-6, 5-4, unfinished3. #74 Amanda Craddock (GT) def. #50 Audrey Banada (UM) 6-3, 6-24. Amanda McDowell (GT) def. Romy Farah (UM) 6-1, 6-15. #54 Christy Striplin (GT) def. Caren Seenauth (UM) 2-6, 6-0, 6-16. Tarryn Rudman (GT) vs. Gina Sabatino (UM) 3-6, 5-3, unfinished
Doubles competition1. #33 Cohen/ Vallverdu (UM) def. #3 Miller/Whitney McCray (GT) 8-62. #51 Amanda Craddock/Alison Silverio (GT) def. Farah/ Seenauth (UM) 8-63. Banada/ Sabatino (UM) def. Kirsten Flower/ Rudman (GT) 8-3
Match Notes:Miami 19-6; National ranking #11Georgia Tech 23-4; National ranking #5Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (3,4,1,5)
