ATLANTA (Feb. 22) — Looking to gain some momentum and confidence before entering the meat of its schedule, Georgia Tech’s 47th-ranked women’s tennis team hosts in-state rival Georgia Southern and Pennsylvania in a pair of dual matches this week at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
The Yellow Jackets, 3-1 after a 9-0 win against Georgia State last week, host Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. Friday and Penn at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“Right now, we’re mainly looking to build momentum,” said Tech head coach Bryan Shelton. “I feel like these matches will challenge us, but they are matches that we should have a good chance of winning. I would like for us to go out with confidence and realize that we are getting close to the meat of our schedule. We still need to iron out a few kinks and play with more confidence.”
Shelton and the Jackets continue to focus on doubles play.
“We’ve really been working hard on our doubles,” Shelton said. “We are starting to see some good results there.”
The Jackets have been bolstered at the No. 1 doubles slot with junior Bobbi Guthrie (Raleigh, N.C.) joining senior Sabrina Pardo (Aix En Provence, France). Shelton has seen improvements by freshmen Mysti Morris (Cartersville, Ga.) and Jaime Wong (Delray Beach, Fla.) at No. 2, and sophomore Laura Ozolins (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and freshman Charlotte Pernet (Dijon, France) at No. 3.
“I tried to make our No. 1 team stronger by putting two veterans out there together,” Shelton said. “They have more experience, and hopefully, they can lead our team and set the tempo in doubles. I want to keep Mysti and Jaime together because I think they are our team of the future. At No. 3, Charlotte needs some more experience, and Laura is becoming more of a leader on the court.
“We’ve been getting better, but we still have a long way to go. I’m pleased that we are making progress, but it’s an ongoing process.”
