March 4, 2006
ATLANTA – Suffering from heavy cramping, rookie Christy Striplin was forced to retire in the third set of her match, giving No. 6 Northwestern (7-3) a 4-3 victory over No. 3 Georgia Tech (7-2) Saturday afternoon at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
With the match tied at 2-2, Kristi Miller, Lyndsay Shosho and Christy Striplin each went to third sets in their matches at the Nos. 1, 2 and 6 singles positions, with each school needing to win at least two of the matches to earn the victory.
Sixth-ranked Miller was the first of the three players finished, as she battled to pull out a 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4 victory over 10th-ranked Cristelle Grier at the No. 1 position, but Northwestern then tied the match at 3-3 when No. 36 Georgia Rose defeated 74th-ranked Shosho, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 at the No. 2 slot.
Striplin lost her first set in a tiebreaker before recording a 6-3 set victory in the second frame. Down a break in the third set at 4-3, Nazlie Ghazal broke Striplin’s serve and then followed that up by holding her own serve to go up 5-4. On the deciding point of that game, Striplin collapsed to the court with cramps, and then was forced to serve following her allotted injury time. The Birmingham, Ala. native finished one point before cramping again and, after battling through another point, was forced to retire.
Northwestern took a 1-0 lead in the match by winning at the Nos. 2 and 3 doubles position to earn the doubles point. Jamie Peisel and Nazlie Ghazal captured an 8-2 win over Alison Silverio and Kacie Anson at the No. 3 spot before Tech’s 11th-ranked Shosho and Miller defeated third-ranked Grier and Alexis Prousis, 8-3, at the No. 1 position. Rose and Feriel Esseghir them helped the Wildcats capture the doubles point with an 8-6 victory over No. 55 Whitney McCray and Kelly Anderson.
The Jackets tied the match at 1-1 as McCray quickly dispatched Esseghir, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 5 singles, and Silverio gave Tech a 2-1 match lead with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Northwestern’s 15th-ranked Prousis, 6-3, 6-2.
Northwestern tied the match at 2-2 when Peisel defeated No. 60 Anderson, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4 singles.
The Yellow Jackets will return to action Tuesday when they host 15th-ranked Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. Livestats for the match will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Tennis Match Results
Northwestern vs Georgia Tech
Mar 04, 2006 at Atlanta, Ga.
#6 Northwestern 4, #3 Georgia Tech 3
Singles competition:
1. #6 Kristi Miller (GT) def. #10 Cristelle Grier (NW) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4
2. #36 Georgia Rose (NW) def. #74 Lyndsay Shosho (GT) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
3. Alison Silverio (GT) def. #15 Alexis Prousis (NW) 6-3, 6-2
4. Jamie Peisel (NW) def. #60 Kelly Anderson (GT) 6-4, 6-4
5. Whitney McCray (GT) def. Feriel Esseghir (NW) 6-4, 6-1
6. Nazlie Ghazal (NW) def. Christy Striplin (GT) 7-6, 3-6, 5-4, retired
Doubles competition:
1. #11 Shosho/Miller (GT) def. #5 Grier/Prousis (NW) 8-3
2. Rose/Esseghir (NW) def. #55 McCray/Anderson (GT) 8-6
3. Peisel/Ghazal (NW) def. Silverio/Kacie Anson (GT) 8-2
Match Notes:
Northwestern 7-3; National ranking #6
Georgia Tech 7-2; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,3,4,1,2)
