March 21, 2007
TAMPA – Kristi Miller dropped just two games en route to a 6-1, 6-1 singles win to lead sixth-ranked Georgia Tech (11-4) to a 5-2 victory over the University of South Florida (8-6) Wednesday afternoon at the USF Varsity Courts.
After the Jackets swept all three doubles matches, Miller, the nation’s seventh-ranked singles player, dropped No. 27 Shadisha Robinson at the top of the singles lineup to give the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 edge in the match.
No. 44 Christy Striplin put the Jackets up 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Iciri Rai at the No. 6 singles position before USF cracked the scoreboard with a 7-5, 7-5 win by Gabriela Duch at the fifth singles slot.
Rookie standout Amanda McDowell earned the fourth and deciding point for the Yellow Jackets with a 6-4, 7-5 win against Liz Cruz at the fourth singles line, and fellow freshman Amanda Craddock gave Tech the 5-1 lead with a 7-5, 7-6 (6) victory over Jessica Sweeting at No. 3 singles.
Earlier in the day, Tech’s eighth-ranked duo of Miller and Whitney McCray defeated USF’s tandem of Robinson and Vernon, 8-4, before Kirsten Flower and Tarryn Rudman gave the Yellow Jackets the 1-0 match lead by dispatching Cruz and Rai, 8-5, at the No. 3 doubles spot.
Tech’s No. 2 duo of Craddock and Alison Silverio helped the Yellow Jackets to the doubles sweep with an 8-4 victory over Duch and Sweeting.
No. 42 Courtney Vernon earned the final point of the match with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Silverio.
The Yellow Jackets will return to Atlanta to prepare for a key Atlantic Coast Conference weekend in which they host 2006 NCAA Finalist and ACC Championship Finalist, the University of Miami, Saturday at 12 noon before facing Florida State at 10 a.m. Sunday in the first half of a women’s/men’s tennis doubleheader.
Tennis Match Results Georgia Tech vs South Florida Mar 21, 2007 at Tampa, Fla.
#6 Georgia Tech 5, #39 South Florida 2
Singles competition 1. #7 Kristi Miller (GT) def. #27 Shadisha Robinson (USF) 6-1, 6-1 2. #42 Courtney Vernon (USF) def. #116 Alison Silverio (GT) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) 3. #99 Amanda Craddock (GT) def. Jessica Sweeting (USF) 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) 4. #121 Amanda McDowell (GT) def. Liz Cruz (USF) 6-4, 7-5 5. Gabriela Duch (USF) def. #21 Kirsten Flower (GT) 7-5, 7-5 6. #44 Christy Striplin (GT) def. Iciri Rai (USF) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition 1. #8 Whitney McCray/ Miller (GT) def. Robinson/ Vernon (USF) 8-4 2. Craddock/ Silverio (GT) def. Duch/ Sweeting (USF) 8-4 3. Flower/Tarryn Rudman (GT) def. Cruz/ Rai (USF) 8-5
Match Notes: Georgia Tech 11-4; National ranking #6 South Florida 8-6; National ranking #39 Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,6,5,4,3,2)
