Oct. 5, 2011
PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIF. – Georgia Tech women’s tennis senior Jillian O’Neill earned two hard-fought three-set wins on Tuesday to advance to the third round of the qualifying stage of the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships at the Riviera Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
O’Neill, who is ranked 21st, will face the University of Virginia’s Emily Fraser, ranked 36th, at 10:45 PT on Wednesday with a place in the main draw of the tournament on the line.
O’Neill defeated Sacramento State’s Tatsiana Kapshai, ranked No. 71, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-0, in the opening match of the qualifying round of the ITA All-American Championship on Tuesday. In her second round match, O’Neill had to battle to another three-set win, this time a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 win over Michigan’s Emina Bektas.
Yellow Jacket senior Viet Ha Ngo, ranked No. 44, defeated Illinois’ Rachel White, ranked No. 67, in convincing fashion, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round, but fell to UCLA’s McCall Jones, ranked No. 33, 2-6, 4-6, in the second round.
Senior Caroline Lilley, ranked No. 69, also earned a spot in the qualifying round of the tournament, but dropped a tough first round match, 5-7, 6-7(4), to California’s Tayler Davis, ranked No. 41.
Tech’s sixth ranked doubles pair of Lilley and O’Neill is the fifth seed in the main draw of the doubles tournament and has earned a first round bye. They will face the winner of Stanford’s Mallory Burdette and Nicole Gibbs and Baylor’s 10th ranked team of Sona Novakova and Nina Secerbegovic.
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.
— RamblinWreck.com —
