April 11, 2009
DURHAM, N.C. – The seventh-ranked Georgia Tech women’s tennis team dropped its first match in nine tries when it fell to No. 5 Duke, 4-3 Saturday afternoon at Ambler Tennis Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets finished the regular season with a 16-6 overall record and are 9-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Duke, who has won nine straight matches, moved to 20-3 and 10-1 in the ACC.
The Blue Devils snapped the Yellow Jackets doubles point streak at five matches when they swept all three matches from Tech. The closest match was at the top of the lineup, where Duke’s 18th-ranked Melissa Mang and Amanda Granson held off the Jackets Noelle Hickey and Christy Striplin, 8-7.
Duke moved ahead 2-0 when Mang defeated Sasha Krupina 6-3, 6-2 from the fifth singles position. The Blue Devils 40th-ranked Reka Zsilinszka pushed the lead to 3-0 behind a 6-3, 6-0 win over No. 54 Hickey.
In a hard fought match, Tech freshman Irina Falconi dropped a three-set decision to Mallory Cecil on court one, as the Blue Devils clinched the match. Falconi won the first set 6-2 but was unable to take advantage of the lead, dropping the final two sets 6-2, 6-2.
Striplin would score the Yellow Jackets first point of the day with a 2-6, 6-4, 2-1 win over Granson on court four. Junior Amanda McDowell won her ninth straight singles match as she outlasted 28th-ranked Ellah Nze, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 from the second spot in the lineup.
Freshman Lynn Blau picked up the Yellow Jackets final victory of the day, a three-set win over Jessi Robinson on court six.
The Yellow Jackets, who have locked up a bye for the first round, will kick-off the 2009 ACC Tournament next Friday, April 17. The 2009 tournament bracket will be announced Sunday evening by the ACC.
