ROME, Ga. – No. 16 Georgia Tech took four singles matches from No. 4 NC State to erase a 2-0 deficit and defeat the Wolfpack, 4-3, in the 2021 ACC Tournament quarterfinals Friday afternoon. NC State won the doubles point and the first singles match before the Yellow Jackets staged a comeback to secure a spot in the semifinals on Saturday.
DOUBLES – NC State (16-5) took the early match advantage, winning a pair of doubles contests for the doubles point. NCSU’s No. 4-ranked tandem of Jaeda Daniel and Adriana Reami topped No. 21 Ava Hrastar and Gia Cohen, 6-2, to give the Wolfpack the edge, but the Jackets leveled the doubles field with a victory at the top position. No. 2 Kenya Jones and Victoria Flores took a 3-1 lead over No. 11 Anna Rogers and Alana Smith and pocketed the set, 6-2, to leave the doubles point to be decided on court three. In the final doubles match, No. 73 Amela Rajecki and Abigail Rencheli opened with a 4-1 lead over Monika Dedaj and Carol Lee, and clinched the doubles point for the Wolfpack with a 6-3 win.
SINGLES – The Wolfpack took a 2-0 match lead with a 6-1, 6-2 victory on court three, but the Jackets took the first set on all five remaining courts. Lee put the Jackets on the scoreboard, winning on court five in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, over Rencheli. At the top spot, Jones knotted the match at 2-2, dominating fifth-ranked Rogers. In a first set battle, the opponents went to a tiebreak to decide the lead as Jones controlled the breaker from the start, winning 7-1, to take the first set. Jones cruised in the second set, 6-3, to knot the match at 2-apiece.
Hrastar handed Tech its first lead of the match from court four as the freshmen upended Daniel in three sets. The two split the first two sets to force a deciding third and Hrastar opened with a 3-0 lead. Daniel battled back to setup a 4-3 tally, but the Jacket took the set, 6-4, to collect the match, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, and give Tech a 3-2 lead.
Mahak Jain clinched the match for Georgia Tech from the six seed, defeating Lexi Keberle in three sets. The Jacket won the first set, 6-3, but Keberle responded winning the second, 7-5. Jain opened the final set with a 3-1 advantage and extended her lead out to 5-2. The freshman clinched the match with a 6-2 third set victory, sealing the victory for Tech at 4-2.
UP NEXT – The Yellow Jackets will face No. 24/20 Miami in the women’s tennis semifinals at 12 p.m. on Saturday.
RESULTS
DOUBLES
1. No. 2 Kenya Jones/Victoria Flores (GT) def. No. 11 Anna Rogers/Alana Smith (NCSU) 6-2
2. No. 4 Jaeda Daniel/Adriana Reami (NCSU) def. No. 21 Ava Hrastar/Gia Cohen (GT) 6-2
3. No. 73 Amelia Rajecki/Abigail Rencheli (NCSU) def. Monika Dedaj/Carol Lee (GT) 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
SINGLES
1. No. 6 Kenya Jones (GT) def. No. 5 Anna Rogers (NCSU) 7-6 (1), 6-3
2. No. 21 Alana Smith (NCSU) vs. No. 20 Victoria Flores (GT) 4-6, 6-2, 6-6, DNF
3. Adriana Reami (NCSU) def. Gia Cohen (GT) 6-1, 6-2
4. No. 119 Ava Hrastar (GT) def. Jaeda Daniel (NCSU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
5. Carol Lee (GT) def. No. 103 Abigail Rencheli (NCSU) 6-2, 6-1
6. Mahak Jain (GT) def. Lexi Keberle (NCSU) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 5, 1 4, 6
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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